Positivity, Trust, and Perspective

[ This is somewhat of a sequel to the previous post named Contentment. Similiar, with a slgihtly different view. ]

I'm an optimist.  Some people would say that I'm overly or blindly optimistic, and too trusting of people and situations.  They would say that I ignore reality in order to feel good about something.  This, however, is simply not true.

I believe that positivity, like contentment, is a choice.  It is my choice to see the glass half full and not half empty.  It is my choice to see the good side of situations and people.  For me, something that lives very close to optimism is trust.  Trust that God won't lead me down any path where there is no hope.  Trust that there is no situation that can arise in my life that will produce only negative results.  I have absolute and unquestionable trust in the Lord my God that everything I encounter is for His will and His purpose, and such purposes are greater and more amazing than anything I could possibly dream up myself.  I know God is working in me and in my life, through situations we see as good and bad.  Even when my human brain sees the negative parts of something, I choose to focus on the good.  I choose to keep trusting that things will work out.  If I were to instead become pessimistic about all such things, I may miss the silver linings that God has placed in my life, as I would be too busy focusing on the darkness of the storm.  Pessimism is often the off-switch to God's work in our lives.  God will work through our hope and faith in things we cannot see.

Another part of positivity is perspective.  For some people, their positivity is like a thermometer that is affected by every small thing that happens in their life.  Every time something small and imperfect happens, they overreact angrily, turning a small thing into something much larger.  Life is certainly full of negatives and imperfections, many of which must be dealt with or fixed in some way.  However, how we react to such things is vital to our positivity, and to our contentment.  If we blow up with anger every time something happens, there is no doubt as to why we're unhappy.  However, if we choose not to overreact to bad situations, instead calmly doing what must be done to rectify it, we keep our positivity intact.  Practicing such things will then allow us to better handle when bigger things happen.  Keep a healthy perspective on the ups and downs of life, and don't blow small things out of proportion.

When facing an unknown circumstance in life, it is our choice whether to look at it positively or negatively.  It is our choice to hope for good results or believe in impending bad results.  I am an optimist, but more specifically, I try to be a realistic optimist.  I try to look at situations realistically (not blindly) and logically, but also positively.  Maybe things won't turn out so bad.  Maybe things will work out.  And, if things don't work out, I try to look for the good in the bad, for there usually are positive effects of negative situations.  For example - in April, I was laid off from my job.  This is, obviously, a negative for our finances, but throughout this time, I have not gotten down on it or discouraged.  As I continue to interview for new jobs, I know that God has a plan for me, and that this will all work out for His glory and His will.  Also, not having a job has granted me time to do a lot of work around the house (which we bought at the end of last year).  I did a closet remodeling project, and have been doing a lot of work on the back yard - things that would have taken a lot longer, if I had had a full time job the whole time.  As for our finances, while this puts a small kink in our plans when it comes to putting money in savings and paying down the house, I can be thankful that we are financially situated enough where we're not struggling.  My wife still has her job, and we have no issues affording what we must afford.  We have been greatly blessed in that regard, and thus the job loss is merely an inconvenience, instead of a major difficulty.