That’s not my usual response. When someone says to me, “I have good news and I have bad news,” I generally say, “Give me the bad news first.” I do this so that I can get the initial sting out of the way and enjoy the boost from the positivity that follows.
The problem is that right now the bad news seems to be so thick that we can’t even get to the good news.
When I was in high school, I took a class on journalism. I remember one of the first things the teacher told me: “bad news sells.” As an optimist, this struck me to the core. Don’t people want to hear good news? Don’t they want to know about the great things that are happening all around them instead of focusing on the terrible, tragic, heartbreaking things?
I’m not suggesting that we just put on rose-colored glasses and ignore the pain and suffering all around us. I am suggesting, however, that we will drown in it if we don’t find opportunities to catch our breath and recover a bit.
Which brings me to the title of this post. I want to emphasize some good news that seems to be struggling to be heard right now.
You woke up today to be able to read this.
There are people who look up to you, value your opinion, and care about you. You make their day better by being in it.
The sun will rise tomorrow. Clouds may obscure it, but make no mistake–it is there.
Do you have a spouse who loves you? That’s a gift. Kids? They, likewise, are precious. Friends? Even if they are few, treasure them. To borrow a line from James Taylor, “shower the people you love with love–” it makes everything better.
Wherever you live, there are people who would do anything to be there. Take the time to look around and enjoy where you are in life right now.
Today can be better than yesterday, and tomorrow can be better than today.
You can reject the false narrative that pineapple belongs on pizza (sorry, that was just to see if you’re paying attention).
No matter how bad your day was, your dog will be more happy to see you than you can imagine. Return the feeling.
And yes, God loves you more than you can comprehend. He’s proved it time and time again, most powerfully and effectively through the cross of Christ, but He continues to show us each and every day, by means great and small.
If you’re still reading this, you may be saying, “But what about all the bad things? The death, horror, and tragedy all around us?”
It’s still there. And, in this life, always will be. But getting a little fresh air, smiling a little, and spreading that around can be helpful to keep us going through the bad. And is we keep going long enough, we’ll get to the good again.
Let’s make the good news easier to find.
On the MARC 