Like any average college student, I spend way too much time on social media. I am here to admit that I spend a SOLID chuck of my day mindlessly scrolling. & let me tell you: Twitter is a LOVELY place. (Sometimes...) There are almost ALWAYS viral tweet formats going around, and recently people are having a blast & a half highlighting their "toxic traits."
Except I'm seeing a trend within the trend, & the more I scroll, the more I see it. However, it's not an especially good one.
I keep seeing variations of this tweet - this "toxic trait"...
GET READY KIDS HERE IT COMES!!!
"My toxic trait is that you can do me wrong & I'll still try to see the good in you."
Hold on. When did this become a so called "toxic" thing? Hear me out on this.
I think seeing the good in people is a beautiful thing.
Why? Well brethren, allow me to explain.
Imagine if God thought seeing the good was a "toxic trait"... Let me tell ya, we'd be in a WORLD of hurt. # YIKES
I think sin, at its most basic definition, is anything that separates us from God. Every time we mess up we are essentially separating ourselves from the Father. We create a chasm & the only way across is Jesus. Shoutout to Jesus for coming to die for us when WE are the ones that deserve to die cause we are hashtag SINNERS.
Does that chasm mean He stops loving us? No. Thank GOODNESS that's a big fat NO. Does he see more in us than our mistakes? You betcha.
What if when we messed up He thought, "Welp… that gal did me wrong, I guess it's time for me to turn away. No more seeing the good for ME, that is TOXIC." ?????
That's exactly what we'd do... BROTHER WHAT????
GUYS I HAVE NEWS FOR YOU & IT IS INCREDIBLY REFRESHING!!!!!
It is a GOOD thing that we are not God. Our Father is so much better & more gracious than we even CLOSE to deserve. He will NOT turn away, even when we are at our ugliest. He is a God who stays. How cool is that.
**Cue "The God Who Stays" by Matthew West**
Look at Genesis chapter one. There is so much good in the story of creation. After each day the Bible literally says, "& God saw that it was good." EVERYTHING that He created was good in His eyes. Then leave it to the humans to walk in & screw up... At that point God could have throw in the towel. He created everything, & He could just as easily have destroyed everything. But He didn't because He wants us & He cares for us. He sent His son to die to save us because that's just how much He loves us.
So what does that mean? Well... in the quest to be more like Jesus, shouldn't we... & this is crazy, but bear with me... act more like Jesus...?
Psalm 34:8 says, "Taste & see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him."
The Lord is good, therefore to see the good is to see the Lord. To SEEK the good is to SEEK the Lord.
Just because you see the good in someone doesn't mean you have to let them treat you the same way they did when they hurt you. "Seeing the good" doesn't mean allowing yourself to be walked all over while you justify someone else's hurtful actions. What is DOES mean is recognizing that the person who hurt you is a child of God who was created in His image. They are worthy of forgiveness & love just the same.
Know that you can see the good from a distance. You can love someone from a distance. Sometimes it is more a heart thing than anything else.
I'm not saying we should try & be God for another person. What I am saying is that we should forgive like He does & seek Him in the midst of the frustration.
This concept doesn't just apply for our attitudes on people. It can also be our outlook on situations. I am someone who is VERY good at getting myself into sticky situations. I present myself with lots of opportunities to get frustrated with myself & others. However, I'm trying to train myself to see each mistake as an opportunity for growth instead of dwelling on the fact that I fell short. I'd be a straight up JOKESTER if I told you I was doing this on my own, it is taking LOTS of prayer.
Pause for story time.
September 30th is a day that will live in infamy. You see, I was up late doing a psychology quiz, & I fell asleep with my computer in my bed - the computer that my parents so kindly gifted me. Now would be a good time to note that my bed is lofted about six (6) feet. At around 3:00 in the morning I had a weird feeling, so I woke up, & what do you know, my computer was chilling on the ground & the screen was SHATTERED. It had plummeted straight to its untimely death. I sat in the hall for an hour because uh WHAT THE HECK WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO?????
In case you are unaware, the life of a college student is on their laptop. EVERYTHING I NEED TO SUCCEED AT THIS PLACE WAS ON THAT WEE LITTLE PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY.
After debating what to do for a goooooood long while, I texted my mom. I was so worried that she would be upset with me & mad that I was so careless with her gift.
However, she reacted so much differently than I expected. She was kind & gracious with me. She helped me figure out what to do & not once was she short or snappy with me.
Let me tell you, I was MAD at myself that week, but it wasn't all bad. I got to see grace & forgiveness through my mother, & for that I am grateful. While this was an incredibly frustrating situation, I am able to look back & see so much good in the midst of it.
Resume.
So often we dwell on the bad instead of fixing our eyes on goodness - on Jesus.
I'm not sure I got my point across. In fact, I'm almost positive that this was somewhat confusing, but I've been thinking about this idea for a while & I wanted to share my thoughts.
This is not to say I'm some stellar optimist who never gets upset with people or situations. I simply think there is beauty in choosing to see the good.
We have the privilege of serving a Father who chooses US everyday. He sees us in the midst of the mess & yet He loves us anyway. He knows we have sinned against Him & He knows we won't stop messing up. It turns out we just so happen to be humans with a sinful nature.
Still He loves us. Still He sees us. Still He is good.
Hehe, love you guys!
Allison
