By Dr. Greg Davis, Senior Pastor
When I was a kid I had a friend who would sometimes get a little negative. He felt like the world was coming down on him. This led him to be a complete grouch. Worse, he complained about everything. Nothing was good enough. Sooner or later his mother would interrupt his gloomy moaning.
“Richie,” she would say, “It sounds like you have a really bad case of the P.L.O.M.” This was her abbreviation for “Poor Little Old Me” disease.
She would then get Richie to either sit at the kitchen table or go up to his room. She armed him with pencil and paper. Her instructions were clear: write down a list of things he was thankful for in his life. When the list was long enough – and his attitude improved enough to satisfy his mother – she would let Richie rejoin his friends.
All of us – adults as well as children – at times overemphasize the bad side of things and underemphasize the good. Some of us do it much more than others. Yet the truth is all of us have things to be thankful for. It’s also true that, no matter how difficult our situation might be, it actually could be worse.
We love cheerful people more than gloomy ones. When you are personally suffering from “Poor Little Old Me” disease, it might help to do exactly what Richie’s mom had him do. Take a pencil and paper and write down some of the things you are thankful for – even if you’re not feeling very thankful as you jot them down. Then start being thankful – and find yourself cheering up! There are too many sourpusses in the world already.
The apostle Paul had plenty of reasons to be negative. This guy went through bad times – repeatedly. Yet he urged us (in First Thessalonians 5) to rejoice always and to give thanks in all circumstances.
If you need help, make a list. You are blessed. Share it.