Positively Good Productions

By the grace of God rather than becoming enraged, 

as probably expected by them, 

God had me to remain still and silent. 

He reminded me that this battle was not mine.

Jesus also knows the feeling of support falling away. 

He is all too acquainted with having the very ones 

who should stand up for Him… 

to shrink back and turn against Him.

Jesus knows exactly how it feels to be betrayed.

Not only is He touched by our feelings of betrayal, 

but...

"He is that Friend 

who sticks closer than a brother."

Proverbs 18:24

It is easy for my siblings and others to sit and look in 

from the outside and criticize, disparage, 

or otherwise cast aspersion on me, 

but God knows... 

He has witnessed it all.

God is our Perfect Judge,

and we can trust God, implicitly.

I am reminded of a quote of Albert Einstein, he tells us, 

“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, 

but by those who watch them without doing anything.”

I am now seeing how... even the people who betray us 

are part of God’s Master Plan. 

The pain God allows is not meant 

to make us weaker or break us down.

It is sent to raise us up and make us stronger. 

Jesus could not have gone to the cross 

without Judas and his betrayal.

When we find ourselves as the target for baseless, 

hurtful, abrasive, and negative adrenaline pumping 

and we are uncertain about the emotional accelerants… 

we can neutralize the energy vampires in our lives 

by letting God abide.

If we allow our egos and/or brains to kick in with 

knee jerk urges, actions, impulses, sharp words, and 

thoughts... our stress level, good behavior, and overall 

well-being can be sabotaged. 

Emotions can often set off alarms and override 

logic causing one to make quick and thoughtless remarks 

rooted in all kinds of emotion. Where and how we focus 

our attention determines our emotional state. When 

we immediately react to the problems we are facing... 

we can create and prolong negative emotions and stress. 

If we react to a person who offends us we may find 

ourselves over-reacting with emotions out of proportion to 

the situation, or we can act out in ways we may regret. 

We may wind up undermining all communications and 

cause a negative chain reaction that can filter, 

like wildfire, into other areas of our lives. 

Bitterness and vindictiveness can actually put us in an 

emotional prison... which is never good. In most 

instances, the brain is ill-prepared to handle 

surges of this nature.

Bitterness and vindictiveness controls our thought life, 

our time, our health, our emotional and Spiritual 

freedom... and none of these can be segregated 

from our overall well being. We can achieve better 

balance by responding rather than reacting. 

It serves us well to know when to pause, when to 

breathe, and make sure we are plugged in to our real 

Power Source. In doing so, we come to realize that we 

don't have to react and be baited by our accuser. 

Another heart-centered response is.. rising above the 

nonsense and respectfully walking away. Otherwise, we 

can find ourselves unproductively doing evil for evil...

 which gets us nowhere fast. 

God blesses those who reward evil with good.

Rather than retaliate with insults when people insult us, 

instead, let us be careful to do what is right and not 

conform to the pattern of this world by doing evil for evil, 

but do and be as Romans 12:17 reminds us, 

"Respect what is right in the sight of all men."

Jesus gave His disciples a clear set of instructions about 

responding to those who tried to make life miserable 

for them. 

Jesus said,

"Love your enemies.

Bless those who curse you.

Do good to those who hate

you.

Pray for those who

despitefully use you and

persecute you."

Such a response reflects the heart 

of God.

We can overcome evil with good.

We will have bumps, bruises, and setbacks, 

and will certainly be tested as we journey through life. 

It is important for us to keep God first, 

and do whatever we can... to avoid situations the

adversary uses in an effort to deplete and distract us. 

Let us avoid unproductive conflicts, clashes, 

and/or arguments. Let us also make smart decisions, 

and keep our attitudes in check.

We cannot control the events in our lives. 

We cannot control the actions or what triggers the actions 

of others, but we can make a conscious choice of how 

we will control our positive energy and our positive 

reactions. Our graceful response can make all the 

difference.

We can counter negativity by refusing to participate

in negativity. Rather than react in the heat of the 

moment… it is best to step back, 

remain respectful, and not feed into the anger, 

but go quietly on our way, if possible. 

No one is suggesting that we bury our heads in the sand;

however, true strength is being wise and courageous

enough to walk away from nonsense.

When we shift our focus toward actions that can improve 

our circumstances... we create a sense of self-efficacy 

that yields positive emotions and reduces stress.

Sometimes, timing is crucial when dealing with strong 

emotions or power imbalances. Some situations are 

best addressed... 

once the dust settles.

In the face of negativity or ill treatment, let us carefully 

and prayerfully consider taking the high road... 

even if it's not popular or easy. Life has a habit of 

greatly rewarding those who learn to turn the other cheek. 

The moral high ground is always 

the best place to operate from. The high road will always 

be our most noble, righteous, and less congested 

course of action.

Trials, tribulations, and pain can come upon us 

suddenly and leave us overwhelmed, weary, and 

confused. The key is to utilize our trials and 

tribulations as a catalyst for positive change.