Contagious
By Grant Gaines
If I were to tell you that I was “contagious,” what would you do? Unless you are my loving mom you would probably run away as quickly as possible, wash your hands with anti-bacterial soap, and possibly even hop in the shower to scrub yourself down.
Why? Because the word “contagious” carries with it some pretty serious negative connotations. It’s likely that when you hear the word “contagious” you immediately think of a rapidly spreading disease that will knock you out of commission for a week or two if you come anywhere near the contagious person.
But I believe the word “contagious” should not only be limited to illnesses and diseases. Scientifically speaking, we know that yawning is contagious and no one is going to run and hide from someone who is yawning. Laughter, smiling, and joy are also highly contagious and if you’re anything like me, I want to “catch” those contagious emotions as often as I can!
With that in mind, I believe that every single one of us is contagious. I believe that when we go into our schools, or workplaces, and our homes, the attitude we bring with us will quickly rub off on those who are around us and will therefore create an atmosphere that mirrors our own attitude-whether that is good or bad.
We certainly see this idea play out a lot throughout Saul, Jonathan, and David’s lifetime. As we have already mentioned before in previous blogs (part I and part II), 1 Samuel 13 and 14 takes us to the battlefield as the Israelites were lined up to fight against the superior Philistine army. While the soldiers lined up to fight, King Saul sat a comfortable distance away from the battle lines in fear while his son Jonathan boldly attacked the Philistines in an act of incredible bravery and faith in the Lord.
Do you want to take a guess at how the men who were around the fearful King Saul were acting? You don’t have to guess for very long because 1 Samuel 13:7 (NIV) tells us that, “…the troops with [Saul] were quaking with fear.” And on the flip side, how do you think the men responded when they saw Jonathan acting courageously in faith? 1 Samuel 14:22 (NIV) records that, “When the Israelites who had hidden in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were on the run [because of Jonathan], they joined in hot pursuit.”
One man was fearful and that is the exact attitude that his follower adopted. The other man was fearless and that too is the exact attitude that his followers displayed.
Need a few more examples? Check these out.
2 Samuel 4:1 (NIV, bold mine) records Ish-Bosheth’s (Saul’s son who had briefly taken over the kingdom of Israel after his father Saul and brother Jonathan had died) reaction to hearing that his chief commander-Abner-had died. It says that, “When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed.” A leader lost heart, and his people followed suite.
And then you have David in 2 Samuel 6 as the Ark of the Lord was being brought back to Jerusalem from the countryside. David was so excited and thrilled because of this moment that he, “…danced before the Lord with all his might” (2 Samuel 6:14, NIV). As you probably already guessed, the next verse continues by telling us that the entire house of Israel joyfully followed David’s lead in ecstatic dancing and celebration.
As can be clearly seen from the text, the attitude that you display is going to be the exact same attitude that you see the people around you adopt.
Are you tired of a bad home, school, or work environment? Are you sick of the negativity and complacency of those around you? Well guess what? It’s time to stop complaining about the attitude of others and start looking in the mirror at your own attitude. We need to change our attitude before we can expect others to change their attitudes.
We have the power, the ability, and dare I even say the responsibility to create a joyful, Holy Spirit-filled atmosphere everywhere we go by setting the pace with a positive attitude.
In Matthew 5:16 Jesus didn’t tell us to go turn on a light for others to see, He said that YOU are the light of world. YOU are the joy in your school. YOU are the hope in your home. And YOU are the peace in your workplace.
It’s time to stop complaining about the negative attitudes of others and start allowing our positive attitudes to become contagious to those around us.
“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.”
-Philippians 2:5 (NLT)
Comments? Questions? Suggestions?
©Grant Gaines 2013
