Truly Positive by Simon van Bruchem is timely given our cultural climate of fracture and negativity. The title quickly piques interest.
‘Excuse me’, asked the lady sitting next to me on the train, ‘do you mind telling me who wrote that book you are reading? I hope you don’t mind me asking as I could not help seeing how interesting it is’. I showed her the cover and explained who the author was and that I was reading it to my great profit and to prepare a review. She was not a believer but was totally convinced that given the negativity in the world and the anxieties of modern life it was an excellent title. What she had read made sense. My only regret was that I did not give her the book and get another copy to finish my reading. I did however recommend the church van Bruchem pastors.
Truly Positive
Simon van Bruchem
Christians can often be very negative. While there are many things broken with our world due to sin, a pattern of negativity and complaining is at odds with the good news we have in Jesus Christ. How do we go about dealing with this negativity without simply pretending that everything is perfect? This book unpacks some wonderful Bible passages that explain how the good news of Jesus Christ can transform our worldview into a truly positive one. No matter where you are in your faith journey, Simon van Bruchem reminds us of the joy of knowing Jesus, and the opportunities to serve God amidst the negativity in this world.
What is Covered
The book starts (part one) by reflecting on what Christ has already done for us and unpacks the implications of the gospel on our past, present, and future. Part two encourages us to exchange our common negative perspectives on life with a confidence that is only found in Jesus. The final part of the book addresses a range of practical issues that flow from this, including the complications of grief and mental illness, the challenge of contentment, and the need to encourage others.
Negativity Confronted by God’s Word
It easy to identify the negativity that pervades so much of our lives; work, politics, churches and media. It is not difficult to do. Not only because we quickly and easily slip into criticism, but also because grumbling and discontentedness is almost endemic in our nature.
Van Bruchem helps us be realistic about our built-in (sinful) bias. But more importantly he draws our attention to the different lenses through which we see our world because of Jesus. We thus have many reasons to be positive about life!
Van Bruchem writes with the experienced heart of a pastor and the keen eye of the preacher who loves the God of the Bible as much as he loves the text of Scripture. This keeps him from glibness about the anxieties and pressure cooker circumstances of life that can lead us to negativity. He helpfully navigates the paths of disappointments with others, circumstances, injustice, and our own sins and failures. The author communicates with a down-to-earth empathy and desire to contextualise comforts from the big themes of Scripture. These big themes are set forth with care.
Quoting Scripture, van Bruchem exhorts and admonishes us not to stray into negativity that is at odds with our professed beliefs. His approach is seen clearly in the chapter ‘Living confidently and not fearfully’. He writes:
It feels like the cultures that we live in are moving further away from living as God calls us to, instead of towards it. We may fall into a pattern of complaining about everything and withdrawing…We may allow our doubts and negativity to dominate our lives to the point that we might no longer be thinking and acting as God calls us to do.
He then adds why we can be more positive than this.
We know that the major victory in human history has already been won by Jesus, with his death and resurrection. We know that we stand forgiven in God’s sight. We know that the future we are confident in will be so much better than today, being with our God forever in a world that does not suffer the effects of sin. Knowing these wonderful truths should help us to turn our focus away from complaining and being overwhelmed, we need to start seeing our world in a different and better way.
Redeeming Our Perceptions
I have heard it said that when we are more concerned with the truths of the Bible we may fall into the trap of ‘being surer about what we don’t believe than what we do believe!’ Van Bruchem does not fall into that trap. There is no minimisation of sin, of judgement, and God’s unique plan of salvation through Christ. The great remedial truths of redemption give us sure glimpses into the wonders of God’s grace they will sustain and shape us as sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. Together, as brothers and sisters in local churches, we will be sustained in our ennobled calling as salt and light in God’s world.
Eyes on Eternity
In the chapter ‘Living by Faith Not by Sight’ the author helps us “have an eye on our eternal future, not just what we can do in this life.” Van Bruchem has helpful words that will keep us active in doing our best for the world without expecting to establish a new Christendom. This perspective should keep us from whinging about politicians, which seems to be Australia’s new national sport even among believers. Positively, it will help us do what we have been charged to do as believers: to pray for our leaders, be Godly people who pay our taxes, and live as citizens whose second nature includes thankfulness, service, and evangelism.
Joy in the Church
The book throbs with a concerned heart that warns us: “We must take care not to drift into becoming people who are always inclined to complain when God has been so good to us.” Chapter seven: Find Joy and Opportunity in the Local Church, memorably extols us not to be complainers. We are reminded that “the local church also offers something rarer and rarer in the wider society: hope.” Nothing destroys hope as much as complaining. Later in the book readers are confronted (especially parents and pastors) with this warning: “Negativity breeds negativity “, followed by the necessary yet gracious exhortation: “You have the power to stop this cycle.”
I have no hesitation in recommending Truly Positive. It is easy to read. It is comprehensive, covering a wide range of negativity triggers in modern life. It is biblical. It is written by a loving pastor with thoughtful application in each of the thirteen chapters. It will help us drive out negativity as we (re)discover good reasons for thankfulness, contentment, and generosity. This is excellent for personal reading (helped by a pencil or highlighter). Couples, book clubs and small groups will also benefit greatly. Van Bruchem has given us a timely diagnosis, akin to Bridges ‘Respectable Sins’, along with a thorough prescription to help us overcome crippling negativity with timeless and positive truths from Scripture.
