My daughter and son-in-law were in an accident the other night because a young man pulled out from a side street right in front of them. The impact turned his car over and totaled their van, as the front end was all caved in. It was a very traumatic experience for all involved—but no one was hurt. In my mind, that is a positive from a negative. Another example from that same experience was the fact that the van was getting old, and my daughter and son-in-law felt that they were going to have to replace it soon. The insurance adjustor estimated the value of the van at $6,000. That $6,000 made it possible for them to get a newer vehicle and one that better fit their current needs. The van was purchased when they had four children at home, and the van was needed to carry all of them around from time to time. Now, their children all have cars of their own, so the van is not a critical need any longer. The vehicle they purchased, to replace the family van, is more suited to their current needs. To them, that was a clear positive from what was esteemed to be a negative at the time of the accident.
One of the most negative experiences a family can have is when an elderly parent passes away. That is the way of all life, and though it is sad and a definite negative, there are positives that accompany the negative. The elderly person may have been severely handicapped and suffered constant pain or discomfort. They may have had to have someone with them at all times to care for them which could represent a real drain on the family’s resources and/or time. The death of an elderly person is sometimes a real blessing, especially for the elderly. Sometimes they leave behind a nice older vehicle just at a time when a grandchild turns of driving age and needs a vehicle without having any money, or very little, to buy one. Or, a newly married granddaughter or grandson needs a home to move into with the agreement that they will take care of it for a while, at least until a decision is made by the family concerning the disposition of the home. I cannot think of very many negatives where there are no positives that accompany them.
There are many humorous stories that describe positives from negatives, for example:
“Negotiations between union members and their employer were at an impasse. The Union denied that their workers were flagrantly abusing the sick-leave provisions set out by their contract. One morning, at the bargaining table, the company’s chief negotiator held aloft the morning edition of the newspaper, “This man,” he announced, “called in sick yesterday!” There on the front page, was a photo of the supposedly ill employee, who had just won a local golf tournament with an excellent score. A Union negotiator broke the silence in the room. “Wow!” he said. “Just think of the score he could have had if he hadn’t been sick!” That story obviously incorporates a positive from a negative.
Another example relates to young children. Even they can find a positive associated with a negative: “The children were lined up for lunch in the cafeteria of a Catholic school. At the head of the table sat a large bowl of apples, to which the sister had attached the following note. “Take only one, God is watching.” At the other end of the table was a large platter of chocolate chip cookies to which one clever young boy had attached this note: “Take all you want. God is watching the apples.”
When it comes to a person’s health, you would think nothing positive could come from a negative health issue, but leave it to some creative jokester to even make that a possibility: A woman, very worried and upset, rushes to see her doctor. “Doc, take a look at me. When I woke up this morning, I looked at myself in the mirror, and I saw that my hair was all wiry and frazzled-up. My skin was all wrinkled and pasty, my eyes were bloodshot and bugging out, and I had this corpse-like look on my face. What’s wrong with me, Doc?” The Doc examines her for a few minutes and then declared. “Well, I can tell you one thing for sure, there’s nothing wrong with your eyesight.” That is, of course, a very significant and positive declaration as it is important to have good eyesight irrespective of what else might be wrong with us.
I don’t mean to make light of negative and sometimes tragic situations, but after eighty plus years of living in this world, I can positively say that something of value, something positive will often accompany a negative. May God bless us to be sensitive to those who mourn their negatives, but let us also be aware of those sometimes hidden positives that often accompany the negative. When we identify the positives, let us then celebrate them and express gratitude that something good came from something not so good.