Practical Christian Mysticism

“Think Positive”: the battle cry of the modern self-help culture. Of course, it makes sense considering the alternative “Think Negative”, but are those really our only two options? The truth is, despite our ever growing feelings of depression and hopelessness, the secrets to a fulfilling life lie far deeper than the mere pursuit of happiness.

Positive thinking is a fad, nothing more. It just pops up every 10 years or so. Every positive thinking book and philosophy is based on some small grains of truth and wisdom, and because we are starving souls, we eat them up like a dog in ecstasy over the fallen scraps on the floor. Sadly, those shallow philosophies work much like the fad-diet offering fast and visible results up front but ultimately proving useless as a permanent solution to life’s problems.

But of course positive thinking will help! We can’t get a job without some confidence in ourselves to do the job well. Nobody likes hanging around depressed people (Goths and Emos excluded), so thinking positive will immediately make us more popular. In the harsh struggle of life, avoiding negative thoughts can help our minds stay clear to make better split-second decisions that pile up during the course of a day.

However, what we really need in life goes much deeper. The human soul has real needs. Needs that if not met will cause us to self-destruct. The real problem is that to be “happy” is not what we really need. Positive thinking only helps those who are privileged to get what they want. It has no power to help those in crisis get what they need to heal.

What the human soul truly searches for is meaning, purpose, and belonging. The teachings of Jesus Christ and the apostles may seem to often support “positive thinking” themselves with constant talk about love and hope, but if you look at what they really teach it isn’t even close to same message.

For example, modern motivational speakers and popular positive thinking authors love to quote passages in Scripture talking about God’s love for us, such as “For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the Lord. ‘I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope.” - Jeremiah 29:11 Many of you have seen the verse above in cute desk plaques or maybe in a nausuatingly cheerful picture of a lighthouse on someone’s living room wall. What no one points out is the verse was directed toward Israel, not everyone. The passage also follows a call for Israel to repent, something else conveniently left out. Just one example of Scripture being taken out of context to present a overly “happy-go-lucky” view of God and the Universe.

What you probably haven’t seen in a Thomas Kinkade painting, or the like, are the verses in Scripture referring to sacrifice, repentance, or the call to carry our own cross. “And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life because of me will find it.” (Matthew 10:38-39)

We like being told that God carries us when life gets hard (a la Footprints in the Sand), but we don’t like hearing the Kingdom of Heaven is for he who overcomes (“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” - Rev. 2:7). We like being reminded that God “takes care of us”, but we pass by Jesus’ commands to turn the other cheek, give to those who steal from us, and pray for those who hurt us.

Mourning is a virtue every Christian should pursue. As Thomas À Kempis writes in the The Imitation of Christ, “Every one who pays attention will find plenty of reasons to mourn”. Just ask any social worker, minister to the poor, public school teacher, etc. and they will all tell you there just isn’t enough love in the world to make up for the injustices of it. To just feel “happy” is actually to be in a bit of a state of insanity. After all, if we feel no hurt, or pain, or sorrow at all, we must be ignoring our surroundings or just plain ignorant.

Mourning doesn’t mean that we are depressed, and it is a deeper emotion being sad. Mourning is like keeping a constant vigil in your heart, not letting your guard down and being ready to at all time to be Christ in a fallen world. In truth, it is through mourning that the true Joy of Christ can be experienced. When we live in a state of mourning, we face the brutal and vicious reality of the world and yet experience the power of Christ to overcome it. When we mourn, we live being aware of our own personal wickedness, yet experience the love of Christ when He uses us to be His representatives.

Mourning is the only true state of sanity. When we mourn we are not deceiving ourselves with false feelings of security or stability, yet we are not fearful nor discouraged. When we mourn we don’t feel good about ourselves or try to have high “self-esteem”, yet we know we are forgiven and try to pass that mercy on to others. When we mourn, we are not shocked or disturbed by the sins of others, nor our own sins, because we never stopped being aware of them.

Those who follow Christ are never meant to be achieve the dreams and hopes the world places in us. When those of the world think of being happy, they think of being secure, living in a nice house in a nice neighborhood, not fearing war or plague, having vacations, having a nice car, having a good job, etc. None of these things are bad in themselves, but a true disciple of Christ does not seek them. Rather we are to seek the refinement of our souls, the imitation of Christ, and the true poverty of spirit. We live so that we may serve Christ, and not ourselves.

“Positive Thinking” should not be used in Christian living, as it tries to mix worldly desires with God’s will. So many fool themselves into thinking that God’s love means He wants to fulfill our own worldly pursuits. In that same deception, so many become angry at God because they find seeking after God often means their worldly desires are taken away from them. When our hearts are in the world, God seems cruel. When we truly seek the Way of Christ, and follow His teachings we find instead that God is truly a God of love.

Don’t “Think Positive”! Face the darkness of the world and the corruption of your heart, and then you will find a real Joy that runs deeper than any of the shallow and temporary pleasures of the world.

Adulterers, do you not know that friendship with the world means hostility toward God? So whoever decides to be the world’s friend makes himself God’s enemy. Or do you think the scripture means nothing when it says, “The spirit that God caused to live within us has an envious yearning”? But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.” So submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and make your hearts pure, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter into mourning and your joy into despair. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.
- James 4:4-10

Addendum Regarding theories of “positive energy” or effecting the universe with “positive thought”: I have been asked if I believe in the idea that our thoughts or attitudes effect the world around us. As a mystic, I have to say that I do. There is no doubt in my mind that our attitudes play a part in forming the reality we will experience both directly and indirectly. However, my case still remains that there is a serious “cart before the horse” issue with thinking that our whole reality will change if we just “send forth positive energy”. A healthy soul is indeed a blessing on the world, but it takes hard work and discipline to achieve inner peace. People who try to just wake up in the morning and be positive, will soon find themselves running on empty as real life wears down a shallow countenance.