Sure as hell?

“Sure as hell..”

I am sure that at some point in your life, you, or someone around you has used that phrase.

“That sure as hell will never happen” or,

“I sure as hell didn’t expect that.”

Like so many other little phrases and statements, it has found it’s place in everyday conversation, used by so many people, without even thinking..

Have you ever heard anyone say “... Sure as Heaven...”? I know I haven’t.. Why is that? Are we so certain that hell exists, and forget about Heaven? Or are we all so bogged down with all the negativity in life, that it becomes easier to associate with the negative, rather than hold on to the positive? The truth is, so many people enjoy being miserable. People c rave attention, which is acceptable, we are human, but it seems that the only way to gain attention is to seek sympathy. And the best way to gain sympathy is to emphasise all the hardships and suffering that you are going through.. I will be the first person to admit that I am guilty on all counts! The other day a very good friend of mine helped me to realise that. He has just returned from a business trip on the other side of the world. When I look at his accomplishments, I feel like a failure.. But when he laid everything out, it got me thinking..

How great would it be if we could “Accentuate the positive, and eliminate the negative”? If we could be more grateful for what we do have, and not so obsessed with what we don’t, I bet you’d be pleasantly surprised at all the blessings that you overlook!

Over the past two weeks I have achieved some of the greatest accomplishments in my life, both personally, professionally, in my relationships with people, and in my relationship with Christ. I have had so many major victories! Here is the problem.. I have created this paradox within my perspective. That is, I am so desperate to succeed in certain things, that when I achieve something else, I overlook it, then I lose focus, and feel like I haven’t succeeded, even though I just have! Then when I go back, it’s not good enough, so my success is a failure. Confused? Me too.. I like to call this “cognitive distortion”. So we take something that we know is real, and, for no good reason, we doubt it or question it, and somehow prove to ourselves that it is wrong..

Back to my point.. You see how easy it is to forget about the positive, and surround yourself with negativity or loneliness. So we bring ourselves down, and take everybody else with us. Then we ask ourselves, “Where is all the good in the world?” When all along, it’s right in front of us! Just take hold of it and embrace it! It was Mahatma Ghandi who said, “Be the change you want to see in the world..” I like that. Lets stop looking at the bad things in life, and lets focus on the good, and grow it! If you want to get the attention of someone, do it with a smile, or a hug..

If we could all just be a little bit more cheerful, I bet we could start a chain reaction. Imagine a world full of people who are happy? A world full of people who are filled with Christ? We were given the gift of life, so how about we appreciate it? I SURE AS HEAVEN WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT!!