Hunt the Good Stuff

Pollyana is one of my favorite old movies. A young girl comes to a stuffy, crabby town and transforms it with her cheerful outlook and her ability to see good where no one else can see it. She talks about how her preacher father looked through the Bible and found enough “glad texts” for every day of the year.

And now the U.S. Army is using gladness as a preparation for soldiers before they go on tour of duty. The soldiers are taught to “hunt the good stuff”. Listen to this six-minute, intriguing interview on NPR.

Don’t you think being a teenage girl is kind of like going to war?  There’s so much stuff going on in your life –school, trying to figure out who you are, being interested in boys, complicated relationships with other girls.  It can feel like a battle sometimes.  Have you ever thought of “hunting the good stuff” while you’re a teenager?

Paul commands us to do two things.  In 2 Timothy 2:3 he says, “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 he says, “Give thanks in all circumstances.” Thanking God for the good in every circumstance equips a soldier to be able to endure hard times, and I think making a habit of being thankful also equips a young woman to get through hard times.

When I was young I read The Hiding Place, the story of Corrie Ten Boom, whose family helped hide Jews in World War II.  Her entire family went to a Nazi death camp because of it. She was annoyed when her sister thanked God for the lice in the camp. Betsy told her she was thankful because the lice kept the soldiers out of the barracks, which allowed the women to meet together to read the Bible and encourage one another.

What difficult circumstance are you facing?  Take a minute to hunt for what’s good in that situation.