The Bright Side
Sometimes, I get annoyed when people say, "Well, ya gotta look on the bright side."
I want to respond with a super snotty, sarcastic comeback and a wrinkled-up face, saying, "Do I? Do I really?"
Because, to be honest, sometimes I just don't wanna.
Sometimes, I want to look down and wallow in the muck, feeling sorry for myself while singing "Gloom, despair, and agony on me" (if you get this reference, you are my people).
I could be a soap opera star with some of my dramatic moments; you would be impressed.
Imagine me going on a three-minute rampage about all the traumas I have endured, the battles I am currently fighting, and all the ways people are annoying me.
I'm pacing and using wild gestures for the most dramatic effect.
Just then, I lock eyes with the camera for an awkward amount of time as it zooms in and then pans out with tragic music playing music in the background.
And the Emmy award goes to...
But, alas, that life isn't for me (thank goodness, I could never afford all the plastic surgery).
We are all fighting battles, enduring dramas, and overcoming traumas and we have a choice every day, every moment really, to decide what we focus our eyes on.
It is a choice to look on the bright side, even in the darkest moments of the battles we face on this journey,
A friend just shared something with me about PTG - Post Traumatic Growth. PTG is a newer concept that talks about some of the positive things that can run parallel to the negative consequences of trauma and pain.
I'm no doctor or psychologist (obviously.), so please know this is my very simplistic understanding of all the complexities related to this concept and the very real effects of trauma.
I appreciated the bright side view that the concept of Post Traumatic Growth offers. PTG explains that five pathways to growth can come from trauma:
New appreciation - what we are learning from what we have or are enduring
Personal strength - the awareness of how strong we really are
New opportunities - having a greater understanding and seeing new possibilities after coming through what we have experienced
Spiritual growth - we have a stronger faith as we witness the love and support from others and feel God's love through the toughest times
Improved relationships - we realize what really matters and focus in on caring for those who mean the most to us
PTG aligns with what we have been learning on our path of Repurpose on this journey together.
While we work through the healing and challenging things, we can also allow ourselves to see what good can come from it all as well.
God is a mighty repurposer, and He can sharpen our vision to see the bright side to help us find our way through.
Looking at the bright side doesn't negate the challenge, sadness, or pain. This perspective can help us to see that, even with all of the difficult things, there is still light and hope to be found.
No matter what is happening right now, God is right there with you. You are not and will never be alone.
God is lifting your chin to look up from the darkness and into the bright light. He is holding you tight every step of the way.
Keep your eyes on God - it’s going get brighter every step of the way.
P.S. I switched my acting focus from soap opera dramas to mushy, gushy, feel-good pieces. I'm still holding out hope for that Emmy though.
Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Genesis 9:17
And God said to Noah, "This [rainbow] is the sign of the covenant (solemn pledge, binding agreement) which I have established between Me and all living things on the earth."
Isaiah 54: 9-10
"To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again. Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the Lord, who has compassion on you.