"That's stupid," they pronounce. "How can you believe THAT?" Or, "Why in the world would you want to do THAT? It'll never work."
They love to put us in our place, or at least the place they think we belong.
But if we let them discourage us by their negativity, we won't follow our consciences about what we choose to believe and we won't do what our whole being tells us is what's right for us to do.
We have to choose to believe in ourselves. Even more basically, we have to choose to believe in the guidance of the Holy Spirit in us.
I remember when my husband was trying to discern whether God was calling him to be a Permanent Deacon, and a family member told me quite forcefully that it would be a sin if he became a Deacon because he would neglect his family. We were polite to her and took seriously her concerns. But we didn't let her negativity unduly influence us. My husband and I were already talking to each other continuously about the possible effects on our family and praying and listening to God to be as sure as humanly possible that he - and I were making the right, God-inspired decision. We were taking all the steps necessary to carefully make up our minds - and counting on God's help now and in the future.
Years later, that same relative was so proud of my Deacon husband!
Negativity often is the hallmark of a person beset by fear. People may warn us to not do something because they have fearful, rigid personalities, and avoid risk-taking. "But God did not give us a spirit of fear, but rather of power and love and self-control." (2Timothy 1:7) We have the power through God to effect positive change in our lives. If we love God, ourselves, and others well, we will take the steps that are necessary for our vocations, our jobs, our education, our relationships. If we cultivate self-control, we will not let blind ambition, careerism, selfishness, or greed control our decision-making.
Today's world is saturated with negativity born of fear. People are afraid to commit themselves to marriage because so many marriages end in divorce. Couples don't want to have children because they fear they won't be able to give them the latest and the best of everything. Yet perfect love casts out fear; committed love IS possible today; and the gift of children expands a couple's love into new deeper channels of joy.
Negativity is also the hallmark of attackers and deniers. People are afraid to voice their religious beliefs out of fear of the deniers and attackers who surround them in their families, at their work-places, in their neighborhoods, and in the media. The world says loudly and clearly that only the dependent and the intellectually weak believe in God.
We must not be afraid of being made fun of or even attacked. "So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord...but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God." (2 Timothy 1:8). And pray. Pray for those who have not yet discovered the deep joy and peace that enter our lives when we have faith.
Yet there are also those with sincere hearts who are seeking whether God exists. They may "flip flop" about whether they believe or not. They may be distant and negative about religion sometimes. They may be bearing personal scars that make it difficult for them to believe in a loving God. They are waiting to find believers who will love them as individual persons without judging them, who will speak of their beliefs honestly and courageously without attacking them for their lack of belief, and who live lives that proclaim that they live what they believe.
No, the world's negativity should never stop us from being all that God wants us to be. So many other people's lives hang in the balance, not just our own! So many other lives will change for the better if we can be our very best!