Negativity Epidemic

by Brandy Webb

I doubt I’m the only one that has noticed how negative society is, at least here in the U.S. I understand that we all do not need to agree, but it is amazing how it seems that even positive stories on the news can take a negative spin because the newscaster may not like whatever or whoever they are covering. I do realize that the media is not a place to go if you want to hear good positive current events, but it would be nice if people would cease and desist from participating in the negativity epidemic.

What would happen if we decided that we would be different and started to only watch, listen, and speak positive things? What would change if we only paid attention to things that edified, instead of things that made us feel angry or depressed? The Word states that there is a lot of power in our words, power to heal and power to destroy: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits” (Proverbs 18:21). What would happen if the majority of people chose life rather than death?

I don’t know if the media would change, but I bet I would. We have to be mindful of everything we put inside us, especially mentally. I see a lot of health tips for food, exercise, meditation, but what about what we read, watch, listen to, and speak? Words, be it from ourselves, others, TV, etc., can affect us in a deep way. 

I realize that I need to be more meticulous with the words that I am listening to and speaking. We are God’s Temple (1 Corinthians 3:16), and He was very specific with what was allowed and not allowed inside His Temple. We must acknowledge that if God was very particular about the Temple back in the days of old, He probably is still particular now with His “human temples.” His Spirit is to dwell within us, and I expect the Spirit likes a clean “dwelling place.” One thing that may need cleaning is getting rid of the negativity disease that can eat us alive from the inside out.

I know it isn’t easy. A negative mindset seems to be everywhere. It is on main stream media to social media to gossip in our very homes. We have access to it twenty-four seven by our phones, computers, TVs, and tablets. I realize the world isn’t going to change without God’s intervention, but that doesn’t give His people any excuses. 

We have choices we can make. We can choose to not participate in negativity. We can pay attention to what we say. We can choose to be silent instead of yelling. We can choose to not participate in gossip and name calling. We can also choose what we watch and listen to. We can set the standard for ourselves instead of letting society tell us what the standard is. The truth is, we have an instruction manual that tells us exactly how we are to be. Therefore, “[d]o not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).