Pollyanna was the heroine of American fiction writer Eleanor Porter's 1913 novel, Pollyanna. (See merriam-webster.com.) Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word Pollyanna as "a person characterized by irrepressible optimism and a tendency to find good in everything."

I was recently asked how I keep from writing negative things. The question made me realize something about myself I hadn't noticed before. The times I find it most difficult to write are when I am feeling the most negative.

Though I may appear to be Pollyannaish to some (yes, it's a word), I'm not a bright-eyed idealist at all. The truth is I tend to see the negative before I see the positive. I've been poked and prodded enough by life to have developed a good grip on reality, and I understand what a bad day feels like. However, I believe I have a responsibility to be disciplined in the grace I've been given. Out of the abundance of this grace I must offer life and not death. I believe living, not bitter, water is what is supposed to flow out of my heart. (See John 7:38.)

I don't always handle my struggles as smoothly as I'd like, but my reliance on God helps me find the right clarity. I feel pulled to give others a glimpse of my hope, but they'll never see it if negativity is the point of my conversation.

I was once a hopeless case, but God has made me hopeful in Him. And He has afforded me the opportunity to offer this hope to others. No, I'm no Pollyanna. I'm just a continual recipient of God's amazing grace. My awareness of this truth is what keeps me focused on life-gifting.

#grace #speaklife #hope