Plus and Minus

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22)

The other day I was reviewing the past year. I wrote down a list of things that had occurred this year in my personal and business life. My mindset had been a bit of “what a tough year” and these are tough times at lots of levels. There have been difficulties!

As I continued my list, I began to put a + or – next to each item. Out of about 25 things I wrote down, only about four were marked with a negative. When I contemplated the negatives soberly, I had to admit that in all of these, I’d had a large influence as to why they had turned negative. My sins of impatience, ego, pride, or emotional over-reaction led to problems.

The negatives were largely caused by me! In focusing further on the negatives on the list, I realized that I’d learned a lot from each situation. I’m more attuned to the fruits of the spirit mentioned above. There are reminders in these about the importance of self-control. Fortunately, there has been forgiveness and reconciliation. I’ve been reminded about the virtue of patience and not judging too quickly.

As I focused on the pluses on the list, I was instantly grateful for the birth of our first grandson in April and the return home of our son, who had been deployed in Iraq for 12 months with the U.S. Army. Both are happy and healthy! I focused on the hiring of a new employee in my firm who is an absolute Godsend. Thank you, Lord!

I’m thinking of the true blessings of growing friendships, new ways to pray and seeking God and surviving and thriving amid the current difficulties in the economy. I’m more and more appreciative and grateful to God for all the blessings he richly pours out on us!

TAKE THE CHALLENGE: Write a list of what has happened to you this year. Put a plus (+) or minus (-) next to each one. Do your pluses outweigh the minuses? Are you counting your blessings daily?

Author: Greg Aitkens