By Julie A. Havener
A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition.
~William Arthur Ward
Anyone who knows me well would almost certainly label me an optimist. I believe in embracing hope and finding something positive even in the most difficult circumstances. My own optimism stems from a strong, personal faith in a loving God who I believe is very interested in the personal details of our lives, not just the "big stuff." I also believe that things happen for a reason and that if we keep our minds and spirits open, our invisible God often becomes visible, sometimes in ways that are quite humorous!
A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition.
~William Arthur Ward
Anyone who knows me well would almost certainly label me an optimist. I believe in embracing hope and finding something positive even in the most difficult circumstances. My own optimism stems from a strong, personal faith in a loving God who I believe is very interested in the personal details of our lives, not just the "big stuff." I also believe that things happen for a reason and that if we keep our minds and spirits open, our invisible God often becomes visible, sometimes in ways that are quite humorous!
With that being said, even optimists can temporarily lose hope. This was the case for me on a particularly cold and gloomy January day. I felt overwhelmed by the painful challenges I was dealing with in my personal life. Marital, health, and financial struggles had joined forces to create a tornado of emotion that threatened to crush my spirit. I felt angry, frustrated, burdened, and distanced from the presence of God. The weather seemed to reflect my mood — the gray sky blocked even a single ray of sunlight. As I drudged through my workday, I just couldn't shake a sense of hopelessness and despair.
About midway through the day, I left work to get some lunch. Still feeling pessimistic and negative, I noticed that the sun had come out for a brief moment. I began to think about my negative attitude and reminded myself that I was responsible for choosing my state of mind. While I could not ignore the pain I was going through, I could choose to dwell on the negative or I could choose to shift my thinking to a more positive focus. Even as I consciously reminded myself of this truth, I felt incapable of making the shift. So I gripped the steering wheel and prayed an honest, heartfelt prayer. "God," I cried, my tears ready to spill out, "where are you? I don't want to feel this way but I am miserable and hopeless today. Please lift me out of this dark, gloomy place!"
As I stopped at a red light, I looked at the car directly in front of mine. The personalized license plate caught my eye — it read "SUNZOUT." This brought an immediate smile to my face. It felt like a reminder from God that the sun was shining after all, and in the midst of the longest, darkest, coldest winter in years, this in itself was a blessing. But then my eyes moved to the car that was perfectly parallel to the SUNZOUT vehicle. The license plate on that car read "GROUCH." So as I read these two license plates side by side, I said out loud "SUNZOUT, GROUCH." This brought more than a smile to my face as I laughed out loud! Seeing the two very opposite license plates right next to each other at that exact moment in time also strengthened my previous recognition of my ability to choose my outlook despite my circumstances. I felt my spirits and mood lift as I made the conscious decision to choose a positive attitude.
I returned to work and shared my story with several co-workers who responded with warm laughter at what I referred to as my "message from beyond." I learned that day that when we are feeling too discouraged to bring ourselves out of a state of negativity, relief is only a prayer away!
About midway through the day, I left work to get some lunch. Still feeling pessimistic and negative, I noticed that the sun had come out for a brief moment. I began to think about my negative attitude and reminded myself that I was responsible for choosing my state of mind. While I could not ignore the pain I was going through, I could choose to dwell on the negative or I could choose to shift my thinking to a more positive focus. Even as I consciously reminded myself of this truth, I felt incapable of making the shift. So I gripped the steering wheel and prayed an honest, heartfelt prayer. "God," I cried, my tears ready to spill out, "where are you? I don't want to feel this way but I am miserable and hopeless today. Please lift me out of this dark, gloomy place!"
As I stopped at a red light, I looked at the car directly in front of mine. The personalized license plate caught my eye — it read "SUNZOUT." This brought an immediate smile to my face. It felt like a reminder from God that the sun was shining after all, and in the midst of the longest, darkest, coldest winter in years, this in itself was a blessing. But then my eyes moved to the car that was perfectly parallel to the SUNZOUT vehicle. The license plate on that car read "GROUCH." So as I read these two license plates side by side, I said out loud "SUNZOUT, GROUCH." This brought more than a smile to my face as I laughed out loud! Seeing the two very opposite license plates right next to each other at that exact moment in time also strengthened my previous recognition of my ability to choose my outlook despite my circumstances. I felt my spirits and mood lift as I made the conscious decision to choose a positive attitude.
I returned to work and shared my story with several co-workers who responded with warm laughter at what I referred to as my "message from beyond." I learned that day that when we are feeling too discouraged to bring ourselves out of a state of negativity, relief is only a prayer away!
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