Did you know that we see, feel, and process negativity anywhere from 5 -15 times more and longer than we see, feel, and process positivity?
Negativity bias refers to our proclivity to “attend to, learn from, and use negative information far more than positive information” (Vaish, Grossmann, & Woodward, 2008, p. 383).
To combat negativity bias, my goal as a coach, leader, and teammate is to have 5 positive interactions and 1 negative interaction with the people around me.
If you are in a position of leadership, it is important to try to hold people accountable while balancing positive reinforcement with constructive criticism, or you might do more harm than good and run people off.
If you feel like you are getting hit with a lot of negativity, remember it might be real, or you might just be experiencing Negativity Bias. Either way, getting caught up in a negative Doom Loop where a negative thought leads to a negative action and then more negative thoughts is both unhealthy and unproductive.
Hannah’s story in the Bible is about overcoming negativity and disappointment and relying on God to get out of the Doom Loop.
Hannay’s story, found in 1st Samuel 1-2, is about a wife who can’t have kids and struggles to find self-worth, but through faith in God, she becomes the mother of Samuel the prophet, who would anoint Israel’s first king, Saul, and Israel’s greatest king, David.
Hannah was married to a man named Elkanah, who already had a wife (this was common back then), and while his other wife had many kids, God closed Hannah’s womb so she couldn’t have any.
This made Hannah sad and depressed, but to make it worse, the other wife would provoke her and irritate her.
One year, Hannah went to the doorway of the Tabernacle and wept and prayed to the Lord in great anguish, asking for a son and vowing to give him to God. God heard her prayers, Hannah had a son, and she named him Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.”
Samuel went on to become an important priest, prophet, and leader for the Israelites, but he might not have ever been born if Hannah hadn’t prayed in faith to God.
I have two key takeaways from Hannah’s story.
TRUST GOD
First, she trusted God to help her get out of the negative Doom Loop she was experiencing, and she had so much faith in Him that she immediately felt peace. After she prayed for her son, it says that Hannah said to Eli, a priest in the Tabernacle in 1 Samuel 1:18, “‘Let your servant find favor in your eyes.’ Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.”
When we have faith, pray, and truly trust God, we don’t have to feel sad, depressed, or negative anymore. All things work together for the good of those who believe (Romans 8:28).
GOD BLESSES US SO WE CAN BE A BLESSING
Second, God blesses us so that we can be a blessing to other people. Not only did God bless Hannah with a son, but her son would be a blessing to all of Israel. When we pray and trust God, He can use us to bless other people. God wants to help us and bless the world through us; sometimes we just have to get out of our own way and allow Him to do that.
Hannah’s story tells us how important it is to pray to God for the things we WANT and to trust Him to deliver what He knows we need.
Samuel 1:10 says, “And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.” Hannah faced a battle she could not win on her own, but when she finally fought that battle on her knees through prayer, she won a great victory.
So can we.
SOMETHING(s) TO THINK ABOUT
1 - What is something that is bringing negativity to your life? What is someone you are struggling with, or who is someone who is bringing negative energy to your life?
2 - What is one thing that you can do to overcome that negativity?
3 - What is something God can do to help you overcome the negativity?
4 - James 2:17 says, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” When we pray, God can gift us with peace and joy, but He also shows us something we have to do. Be open and look and listen for what we need to do next, and obey God by doing it.
My prayer
Dear, God. I know that you have the power to bless who you want to less. Please watch over me and bless me so that I can be a blessing to others. In Jesus’s name, I pray, amen.
For a printable PDF of this devotional, click here: Hannah's Faith
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