Negativity

I don't think anything is as draining as dealing with negative people. It sucks the life out of you. Here's the problem, lots of people are negative. I think the twelve spies are a picture of what negativism will do. Ten were negative and two were positive. I think that is how it breaks down in our society at large and in most churches. There is such a fine line between healthy processing of legitimate frustrations and negative venting that doesn't serve any redeeming purpose. I think negativity is ten times as contagious as positivity! It's so easy for things to spiral downward. So how do you arrest negativity and put it in handcuffs and throw it in jail? I think it's ok to call it like you see it. Nothing wrong in saying, "Hey guys, it seems like there is some negativity happening here that’s leading to nowhere. Let's deal with it if it needs to be dealt with, but I don't want us to get derailed." I think negativity is best dealt with privately but “sometimes” publically. You have let negative people know that they are "bringing the morale of the group down to their level." Most people are totally unaware of how their negative emotions affect others and no one tells them! I try to confront it and actually play offense instead of defense if I feel others negativism is dragging others down. The only way to overcome negativity is with positivity!

Which are you? The person who walks into a room and others feel better or the one when others see they run and hide? Attitude is a choice so decide to be positive even when negative things have to be dealt with.

Phil 2:5 Your attitude should be the kind that was shown us by Jesus Christ, TLB