The Evangelical Universalist Forum

How to stay positive?

Practices Christian Living
#1

I hope there might be someone who can help me. This is my single biggest problem in living as a Christian.

I am so distressed by the world. I read the news and see these awful stories. I realise how evil people can be. I hear of murders, rapes, pyschopaths, violence on every level. I wonder who I can trust. I feel like I have my guard up constantly.

I know I should stop reading the news, perhaps, but it can be addictive. And yet, these stories are true. I just feel a little hopeless, as though I am not free to be happy. I am suspicious of everyone. I feel that God doesn’t protect us. I feel constantly in danger.

I realise that most don’t feel this way, and i need to stop, but not sure how. How, from a Christian perspective, should i conquer this?

#2

Well, one thing that helps is understanding that the news media likes to blow up, and condense things out of proportion.

For every violent crime and murder, even if there are ‘thousands’ these thousands are spread apart and for the most part there are still at least those ‘millions’ who aren’t going around kidnapping three year olds and doing God knows what.

I struggle with this too, very much. But I can only hope to say at least; things are bad, but not as bad as they seem.

For every devil there are at least two angels.

#3

I agree with you. News is very addictive and it’s relentlessly negative. It’s a very bad way to start the day. It colors my whole view of the world, filling my sub-conscious with murder and mayhem. Ironically, being so “well informed” about the larger world, I don’t know how my actual neighbors, the families living right next door, are faring.

A possible solution? Turn off the TV, delete the news from my favorites tab, change the radio station, and invite the neighbors over for coffee.

#4

Treeflower, I completely understand where you are coming from because I have the same struggle. I was telling a friend about how I watch Dateline and 48 hours, both real life murder mysteries usually, and she told me I was not the kind to be watching that! She’s right! I should probably do like AllanS says and turn it off! It does seem like there is so much evil in the world, even if like Lefein says it’s not as bad as we think. There is still plenty bad, right. I’m so protective of my children - won’t let them go to a friend’s house (or if in the extreme case I do I can’t relax until she gets home), never take my eyes off of them at the playground, don’t like my parents traveling with them outside our house. And my parents are super responsible. I’m really bad! Seems like the difference between us and others is that they just don’t worry about it, whereas it’s all we can think about - something going wrong and it being just our luck. I sure wish I knew how to calm down and have more balance so that I didn’t have to stress out so much. All the stress will probably be what does me in. :laughing:

#5

I can’t stand it when ever I see yet another news report about yet another little girl being ruined…

I don’t even have children (or a wife for that matter, or even a girlfriend) and I already can’t stand it, and have already developed a hyper-overlyprotective almost motherly nature (and I’m male!). It has gotten to the point where I dread the idea of having daughters (even though it is a dread only because I actually want to have daughters) because they are most likely - according to my observations (three sisters who basically shred my family apart in their teenage rebellion) and almost all the girls from my former public school, and of course - Media, which likes to portray every whore and harlot from Beijing to Nome Alaska as the norm and ideal of what a woman should be!

Makes me so angry…And my own idiocy as a male with ridiculous organs, and ridiculous hormones doesn’t help either. I just become a hypocrite in the brothel house that has become the late, great planet Earth.

I’m glad you brought this up Treeflower, as it is something I struggle with very much. Kinda get tired of all the negative press. It really bothers the whole day, and even the future. :confused:

#6

TreeFlower,

What a pretty screen name :slight_smile:

Your sensitivity about the suffering of others is a godly characteristic.
The Holy Spirit grieves over the hell which people create for themselves and others.

I had to stop news consumption because it weighed me down so much. For me, the news triggered painful memories. God wants us healed and free, filled with joy and peace in Him. But this is a process which does not happen overnight. I suggest really pressing in to the Lord and bringing Him all your fears and sorrows and ask Him, why? Why am I afraid? Why do I feel so ________? I went through quite a season of expressing all manner of extreme emotion to the Lord. The Psalms is a great springboard. The Psalmist expresses a full range of emotion.

The verse the Lord gave to me as a personal promise during that time was “I have not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind” And He has worked what He promised. I feel His perfect Love and I am not in a timid, fearful condition any more.

#7

I don’t think we can just overlook, escape, the reality of this world. Maybe, to a certain degree, we should not overlook what is going on in other countries, even, and care to do something about it. I’m not sure what. Was just reading on Yahoo about all the women being raped in Libya. My heart feels so heavy for them! Reminds me just how much freedom, safety we do have in certain parts of the world, like the Us where I’m from. How must these women cope in their situation?