BECOME A "RIDEALIST!"

Which is better - positive or negative?

Which person is better to be around - a positive one or a negative one?

Isn't the answer obvious? A positive one of course! Or is it?

Being positive, fun and the life of the party seems to be the "be all end all" in America today. Don't we all want to be around someone who's fun and not boring or dull?

But wait! Doesn't each situation dictate the type of person we need to be around?

The encouragement of positive people can be a great boost when we are struggling or depressed. But are there not times when we need some negativity in our lives?

What? Are you crazy? Who needs negativity?

The truth is that facing reality can feel like a very negative thing but can actually be the best thing for us!

When the roof is leaking, a positive voice to encourage us to take steps to fix it can be reassuring and a blessing. But if that positive voice steps over the line to deny reality, that is a real problem!

"Don't worry, your roof isn't leaking," say the positive voice of optimism while the water continues to pour in!

If you had cancer developing in your body and it was in the early stages and easily treated by surgery, would you want your doctor to tell you that you will be fine or tell you the truth? If he tells you you are fine, you will continue to get worse. The cancer will spread and you will eventually die a slow painful death.

If he tells you the truth, it will have a very negative feel to it. No one wants surgery and it feels like the doctor is being very negative.

What should you do - keep going from doctor to doctor until you find one that will tell you you will be fine and don't need surgery? Or face the truth and be on the first steps to recovery?

The doctor who tells you the truth is actually not being negative, he is being realistic! His diagnosis is actually positive in that it helps you to face reality and get the help you need rather than running from it and suffering later!

That is why I recommend being a "RIDEALIST!"


My spellchecker tells me that there is no such word as "ridealist" but the definition is simple: Facing reality with a positive outlook! (I added the word to my spellcheck dictionary!)

An idealist often denies reality. He wants everything to be "positive" all the time!

A realist is someone who faces the truth but often has a completely negative outlook on life, seeing no solutions to the problems of the world!

Who wants to be around an extreme idealist who when a truck is headed straight for you says, "Don't worry - It won't hit you."? Minutes later, you are lying on the ground wounded or dead!

Who wants to be around an extreme "realist" who thinks the sky is falling and the newest McDonald shake has something to do with a government takeover? Never have a picnic because it will probably rain. Never do anything because it will probably fail.

But a "RIDEALIST" is someone who never denies reality like an "idealist" but always faces that reality with optimism, unlike an often pessimistic "realist!"

Do you see how we need both the realists and the idealists in this world? Too often we celebrate idealists and condemn realists as "buzz-killers" yet they have a wonderful way of balancing each other!

Look at a car battery! It has two terminals on it to send power to the electrical system. One terminal is "NEGATIVE" and the other is "POSITIVE!"

That is how electricity works. By connecting both terminals a circuit is formed and power is released!

By heeding the voices of both the idealist and the realist, power is released to overcome problems and issues!

Perhaps that is why the two party system is such a failure in America! One side wants to connect only the negative terminal and the other only the positive terminal. No wonder very little power seems to be released to overcome the issues and problems we face in America today!

What might happen if we connected both sides and worked together? How might our lives change for the better!

As Christians, we must become "ridealists!" There are some harsh realities that we become enlightened to when we become children of God - but we also have some very good news to share! We do not want to pretend that these harsh realities do not exist, but we want to help the world find the same solution we have found - Jesus Christ!

BECOME A CHRISTIAN "RIDEALIST" TODAY AND HELP TO CHANGE THE WORLD!