Share the Good with the bad!

[Hope S. Loving]

You know I was flipping the channels on the TV and a pretty outrageous and boisterous minister caught my attention. He said something interesting, though, which caught my attention and it goes something like this:

(His question...)"Why has the Church (Christian believers) begun to spend so much time on the negative side of situations?"

Clarificaton:
He said if you ask someone about their illness and they tell you, "God healed me and it's a miracle!", the typical modern response will be something like, "Praise, God!" and then walk on.

But, if the answer is, "I don't know. I'm still waiting on my healing. The Devil has been working on me....", the typical response is to get real interested in all the ugly details.

His insight was. “Why don’t God’s miracles get the same attention?” He also went on to say that in times past, if you asked a Christian what was going on, not only was it common to hear God’s goodness, but you better just sit down and relax awhile! – You weren’t going to get a condensed version!

The message he was putting forth was “Don’t stop listening – but, listen for the right reasons. And, don’t stop sharing – but, make sure you are sharing God’s blessings every bit as much!”

His encouragement was to strive for balance in enjoying the good works of God and to give God His full credit instead of just casually passing over it. That we should purpose ourselves to spend more time sharing miracles, enjoying miracles, learning from miracles and asking for miracles. Instead, maybe we are focusing too much on the works of the Defeater with a degree of unholy “excitement" from all the drama.

I found the observations very interesting!

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I would like to ad my own thoughts to that:

A) I think it is extremely important for us to listen to the trials and needs of others – when it is done with a serving and compassionate heart. (Which I applaud the members of this site for.)

1 Peter 3:
8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:

9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

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B) But… when we do see great things happening, do we spend enough time on those? Do we take it for granted? Do we realize that we should be grateful? Do we know who to give credit to? Are we embarrassed to talk of good things when others may not be doing so well? Are we afraid of looking foolish?

God’s goodness is supposed to be shared, used to encourage each other and to give God glory (credit). It is a testimony of God’s power.

Psalm 147:
Praise to God for His Word and Providence
1 Praise the LORD!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.
2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds.

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C) When someone shares good news, great achievements, miracles if you will, how do we react? How should we react? What is a healthy response and what should we strive for? Are we capable of a healthy response?

Psalm 34:
1 I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make its boast in the LORD;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.

Psalm 95:
7 For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand.
Today, if you will hear His voice:
8 “Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion,
As in the day of trial in the wilderness,

Psalm 119:
111 Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever,
For they are the rejoicing of my heart.
112 I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes
Forever, to the very end.

Psalm 139:
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts

[cmc]

Welcome to our forum and thank you for sharing.
I think that most Christians I know DO share the good and the 'bad' but the idea of what is 'bad' is probably open to debate. If God allows trials in my life...then I should "rejoice in my suffering" as well. Reading 1Peter 1:"...these troubles prove your faith..." and chapter 4:12 "...do not be surprised at the terrible trouble that comes to test you" and in verse 19: "So those who suffer as God wants should trust their souls to the faithful Creator as they continue to do what is right."

Whether people in general are all focused these days on the negative... I think that is a very subjective statement but one to think about for sure. In our walk with the Lord and especially in recovery, gratitude is very important.

The definition of a miracle...is that it's an unusual or unlikely...maybe even impossible event, so of course when they occur it draws more attention! I wish they were much less common or rare to see!

Hope S, the verses you shared are so helpful and uplifting. I suppose that I see the balance of sharing the good vs bad in an opposite way to what this minister was teaching. It's easy for me to share my blessings and successes...but far more difficult to be honest and share the nitty gritty, day to day stuff that is just so hard to deal with. It requires more of me to share the difficulties, but sharing our fulfilled hopes encourages others too.

It must be said that one is often received better .... oftentimes people love to hear the good news not the down side. It's human nature to want it all to be nice and neat- everything just as we want it. The balance must go both ways I guess.

Thanks for sharing!

I hope you will continue to stop by and post here on SR, it's nice to meet you!

[best]

Thank you for that insightful sharing.

For those who have talked with me in person...they know how long winded I can get and they know that I will tell the whole story so that the Lord is getting ALL the glory.
What I find has happened maybe...I was told the proper etiquette was that when a person shared...you stay quiet so that the Awe of what the Lord has done gets a chance to sink in for all who are listening.
That etiquette style never did sit well with me *LOL* Comment and praise seems to be a better way in my opinion.

What i find happens in my own self when a person shares of what the Lord has done... I remain still or silent in awe many times yet other times you just need say it out... Thank You Lord.

For a person to share their burdens (what some may call negatives) I listen because we are told we should share each others burdens and lighten the load for one another. Also, by knowing what the needs of others are (listen to every detail) I will better know how to pray and if able...how to help.

You are correct...listen with compassion.
I would say the message was more geared towards and idea of listening for the gossip of things as being what needs be changed.
Compassion = putting feet to our prayers.
Gossip = putting an anchor on our burdens.

Yes an insightful message...
Thank you for that share.