People long for positive life experiences, self-confidence, and deliverance from suffering.

Why would anyone choose to be a negative thinker? Especially when you consider the alternative—being a positive thinker! For many, being a negative thinker comes out of childhood experiences. We got into this habit of thinking something wouldn't work out for us, that we weren't good enough, or that if we tried we'd fail. It doesn't take too many times of raising your hand with an answer, getting it wrong, and hearing the kids laugh at you before you interpret the world from a more negative slant. This misinterpretation of the world around us as being scary, hard, and awful leads us to negative thinking patterns.

By the time a child is 11 years old, most have stopped making attempts at artistic creativity, usually because early attempts were ridiculed or didn't measure up. I believe there's a correlation here to our creative thinking in general. The negative thinking habits we pick up as we are growing up are usually the ones we keep using as adults. They protected us as children, and we continue to turn to them as a coping mechanism.

Unfortunately, negative thinking colors our world. Every day we can dwell on thoughts like: How could another person do this to me? This person is hurting me. This person is talking about me. Now, more people know and won't like me, love me, accept me. ... I need to be sure this doesn't happen to me again (and be ready to be angry if it does happen again). Or...

We can commit to change our negative thinking patterns and use our God-given gift of creative thinking. We can decide to focus our thinking on the positive rather than wasting our energies on negative thinking. When we find ourselves caught in a negative thinking rut, we can challenge ourselves to open our minds and expand our vision of things to think about.

Actually, we are called to use our God-given power of thinking. Ellen White was a thinker. She had much to say about the powers, wonders, and responsibilities of positive thinking. She wrote, "The mind is a trust from God. The powers of the mind are to be cultivated. They are to be so wisely used that they will increase in strength. Each one is to use his entrusted talents in a way that the greatest good will be done" (Mind, Character, and Personality, Vol. 2, p. 665).

Ellen also encourages us with a promise, "The positiveness and energy, the solidity and strength of character manifested in Christ are to be developed in us through the same discipline that He endured. And the grace that He received is for us" (The Desire of Ages, p. 73).

To become a creative, positive thinker again means taking a step to be vulnerable and open. You can find that, with just baby-steps toward more positive thinking, it is an exhilarating feeling to find, or be back in touch with, this positive part of yourself!

I invite you to accept God's desires for your heart and mind. "Let the soul be drawn out and upward that God may grant us a breath of the heavenly atmosphere. We may keep so near to God that in every unexpected trial our thoughts will turn to Him as naturally as the flower turns to the sun" (Steps to Christ, pp. 99, 100).

Susan Murray is an associate professor of family studies who teaches behavioral science and social work at Andrews University. She is a certified family life educator and a licensed marriage and family therapist.