Chicken Little

Do you remember the following Nursery Rhyme? It has been the inspiration for many spoofs concerning the pessimistic doomsayers through the last century.

Chicken Little
Stood around
Underneath a tree.
Something fell and
Hit her head.
She said, "Goodness me!"
"Oh my goodness!"
She did screech.
"The sky is falling!”

There is so much to be gained from an optimistic, faith-filled attitude in our lives. From his prison cell in Rome, the Apostle Paul had this to say to the church at Philippi:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:4-8 ESV).

I know it is a lot easier said than done, but there are some very practical things that we can do in our lives to “always be full of joy.” And the keys to each of them are found in Paul’s advice to this young church. Try each of them this week and see if you don’t find yourself more joyful than every before.

1. First, we ought to stop "catastrophizing." In other words, stop turning small personal flaws, minor negative experiences, or mistakes into major catastrophes. There are certainly times when we are called on to face a catastrophe, however I have found it to be true in my life that often I tend to view every immediate challenge as much more than it really turns out to be. Resist the temptation to be like “Chicken Little.”

2. Second, we ought to stop personalizing everything that goes wrong. Though you may exert influence in some situations, you don't have the ability to control people and events. Things can be out of your control. And not everything that goes wrong is your fault.

3. Third, we ought to stop mind reading! You cannot assume what others are thinking or feeling. When we find ourselves trying to second guess what others are thinking, often we plunge ourselves into negative patterns of thought. Assume the best in every situation until proven otherwise.

4. And, fourth, we ought to stop predicting the future. Besides the danger of setting into motion a “self-fulfilling prophecy,” we also rob ourselves of the wonderful joy God has for us in this present moment.