Finding the Positive

Psalm 41:7-8 - All my enemies whisper together against me; they imagine the worst for me, saying, "A vile disease has beset him; he will never get up from the place where he lies."

​When battling a chronic disease sometimes others believe you’ll never get better. But though the war on sickness is knocking at your door, hang onto the hope.
              
When you’re having a good day, others may still say that you might be a little better, but you’ll never get completely well. This is hard to hear and can cause the hurting to doubt themselves and that they can have a full life regardless of the chronic disease.
 
I have many good examples of people I know who are fighting the same war I am, and have somehow found a way of becoming a positive example to those around them. They don’t let anyone hold them back.
 
Another option is when the one hurting on the inside wears a smile non-stop.  However, many times that smile is only for the sake of others and is really just a fake smile. Sometimes the one suffering may truly be having a rough day, but they don’t allow their face to show it. Regardless of both of these, if you look in the sufferer’s eyes you can see their true heart.
 
And there is a third option: dig up from deep within that struggling heart and bring up a real smile along with it. Sure, you may not feel like smiling; however, when your heart is honest with people you know and they give you the encouragement you need to be real, go ahead and smile. It will do wonders for you and for them.
 
The forth option shows not a smile, fake or otherwise, because there’s no energy left to smile.
 
This calls for patient endurance.
 
You must make it your goal to look for the positive around you.
 
One way to do this is if you’re well enough to do so, go outside and take a walk. This will give your lungs a chance to be refreshed as well as the rest of your body.
 
Find five other tips from lifehack.org on staying positive in negative situations, in their article, “5 tips to Stay Positive in Negative Situations.” 
 
When it feels like people are whispering around you and not giving you the encouragement you need to live your life in spite of being sick, don’t give up.
 
Be honest that what they say hurts you, yet you can show them by example that you’ve learned how to find the good in your situation. Maybe even if it’s only to show you who your true friends are like the psalmist in the Bible verses above discovered. But he didn’t give up. He turned to God and found people who did encourage him to believe his life was full of good things, even if he was living with a negative situation.

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