THE GLAD GAME

The Disney film Pollyanna was a family favorite growing up. The film, based on the book with the same title, is about a little girl who inadvertently teaches a grouchy town how to live joyful lives by playing the “glad game”. Any time someone is complaining or focused on the negative aspects of his or her life, Pollyanna looks for something to be glad about. She finds the silver lining in the bleak situations and is a much happier person because of it. I find myself asking the question, is this a realistic way to live? Can we approach any situation with the glad game? Should we approach every situation with the glad game?

The goal of the glad game is to open our eyes to the good in every situation so that our perspective can be positive and this in turn makes us happier. In the story of Pollyanna, she finds the good in every situation by sometimes pointing out the opposite of what we’re thinking. For example, even though the Sunday morning preaching is terrible, we can be glad for Sundays because it’s 6 whole days before we have to sit in church again. These lighthearted responses usually do get us to change moods of discouragement because they make us smile and help us see that one hour of terrible preaching is such a small inconvenience compared to all the time we have in a whole week. But this lighthearted approach doesn’t work in a situation like a friend getting raped, a family member losing her child, or being diagnosed with terminal cancer. Perhaps our responses should match the gravity of the situation.

In an intense trial, it is okay to offer lament for the horrors we see. We should mourn abortion and be angered by human trafficking. Job, Jeremiah, and Haggai are good biblical examples of lament. But in each of those situations, it’s still not good to stay in the lament. The glad game won’t work in these situations because it is too lighthearted. But God still calls us to be thankful in all circumstances.

What could we possibly be thankful for during times of deep sorrow and pain? God. We can always be thankful and praise God for who He is. The glad game is designed to focus on the circumstances to change our perspectives, but in the worst of times (and even all other times!) when we think there is nothing to be thankful for, God is there. And He is a holy, righteous, and just God. He has promised that all sin and suffering will end in judgment and that those people who do terrible things will be brought to justice. We can take comfort in who God is and this changes our perspective in the hard trials from discouragement to peace. We don’t have to enjoy a situation, but we can always enjoy the God who gives us peace.

We also should not use the glad game as a way to ignore sin, succumb to laziness, or naively assume everything is fine. When we see sin in our lives or others, we shouldn’t just find the things we are glad about and not deal with the temptations that lead to sins. When we procrastinate or continue only performing half-heartedly at our jobs and then play the glad game instead of changing habits, we do more harm than good. When we ignore thinking critically about situations and assume everyone is a good person and has the best in mind, we can allow people to stay in sinfully dominant positions for too long and that in turn can cause harm to multiple people. We should always be seeking wisdom from the Bible and through prayer in every area of life to avoid covering sin with positivity.

I think it is still pretty obvious that the majority of the time, we could all benefit from being more thankful to God for the numerous blessings he gives us in all sizes on a daily basis. So look for those little ways to play the glad game, be aware of the appropriate time to lament, and be saturated in the Word of God so you can approach a situation with discernment and wisdom that comes from God. But in all things, be thankful for who God is!

RESOURCE: “Give Thanks” Spoken Word https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25k5mukTGwQ

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