“The least attractive emotion not only for me, but for any person, is self-pity.”

A thought by John C. Maxwell, (2012-10-02) from his book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth: Live Them and Reach Your Potential (p. 61). Center Street. Kindle Edition.

I totally agree with that thought.

Whenever some negative situation comes into my life these self-pity thoughts race into my mind. If I stop and repeat them to someone then I am in for a major battle but if I don’t rehearse them and repeat them then they just become passing thoughts.

I am a born pessimist or as some would say a born realist and I have made it a lifetime task to not let that view of life take control of me. I read the newspaper from the back, I read a Psalm every day, I step away from negative conversations, I stay away from talk radio/TV and I don’t get into controversial conversations.

There is a problem with this, though. When I am fighting a negative reaction inside of me and someone in my family is reacting from the negative, I tend to attack them and preach at them. I am learning to somehow keep this to myself and not cause relational problems around me. I am doing better at not responding but just listening. Now that can be very difficult for me but I am working on it.

The key is, when these negative, self-pity thoughts come into my mind, I strive to as quick as possible counteract them with a positive side. I have learned to give a good side even to a negative situation because I totally dislike self-pity in me.

Now David was also a Melancholy and he would start his laments with woe is me but at some point He would change his focus to who God was and what He was like and he would then turn to praising Him. David taught me how to handle moments of self-pity.

Yes life is tough. Sin is rampant in the world. This is not Heaven but God is good and He will give us victory over any problem if we avail our self of His strength and see His purpose for allowing it to happen in our life.

Over and over through the years I have said what Paul wrote over in 1 Corinthians 15:57, “Thanks be to God! He gives us [the self-pity… no] the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Maybe that would be a good verse for you to memorize and say when moments of self-pity comes flowing into your mind. Counteract it with God’s Word.

So how are you doing with this least attractive emotion?

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