Positive Psychology Through Christianity

Uncategorized 1 Minute

How can a relationship with Jesus address negative events in our lives and positively impact our mental health?

As I was writing this for an opportunity to be a guest blogger on “The Godly Chic Diaries,” I was very happy with the writing that was produced. I will be submitting this to the author of the blog Junaisha as well, but regardless, I thought this would be interesting content to post. I tend to stay focused on positive psychology, but the field also strongly aligns with my christian faith. So feel free to read on and I welcome any thoughts you may have. She also provided me with the below paragraph to write about, to which I provided my response.

“‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full’ (John 10:10). Through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can experience overflowing love, forgiveness, peace, and joy in your life. That is a promise from God found in the Bible.”

One of the most remarkable things about a relationship with Jesus is that he can fulfill this promise even through the inevitable trials of life. It is common for individuals to be stuck on bad events that happened in the past. In the present, it can be easy to take everyday blessings for granted. And for the future, there are times where we are fearful. But through a relationship with Jesus, he can help us to be at peace with our past, be grateful for our everyday blessings in the present, and to have hope for an even better future. Just as he turn can turn water into wine, he can miraculously turn the negative aspects of our lives into something positive.

The power of this line of positive thinking is supported even by scientific fields such as positive psychology and health psychology today. Those who think positively are less likely to have health problems such as hypertension and diabetes, and are also more likely to live longer! This is because the thoughts that we have can impact the processes that take place in our bodies everyday. So having a strong relationship with Jesus can help anybody to be more healthy and to live a more meaningful and fulfilling life!

Published by Positively Psychological

I am a sixth year catholic student enrolled in the Oregon State University Honors College. I am working towards degrees in Biology, Psychology, and Philosophy. My path toward this curriculum was very convoluted. I worked several jobs growing up, such as logging, berry picking, customer service, medical scribing, and social work. I finally found my passion in pursuing studies pertaining to the mind. Therefore, I am interested in studying the mind from the perspectives of Psychology, Philosophy, Religion, Biology, Cognitive Science, Mindfulness, and Positive Psychology, among several other subjects. I welcome your contributions to my content!

Published

20 thoughts on “Positive Psychology Through Christianity”

  1. Then there’s also this broaden and build theory of positive emotions by Barbara Fredrickson.
    That’s super awesome!
    I like the way you stated the relationship between positive emotions and Christianity (or God, some divine figure)

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

      2. Yes, I just watched one of her talks on how positive emotions open our minds to the bigger picture! People with positive emotions are also more likely to recover from adversity sooner, which sounds like it is very related to the concept of grit. I always thought that openness to experience was a very interesting component of personality as well. I think that it is very important for people to be open to experiences, and so learning how positivity ties into that is very interesting. Thank you very much for sharing about Frederickson, and I love the work that the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley is doing in general (She’s from UNC-Chapel Hill, for the grant was for this organization)! Feel free to take a look at their website sometime if you haven’t already, which I will provide below. Thank you again for contributing this, and I look forward to your future contributions as well! https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/

        Liked by 1 person

      3. I do read their website. It has wonderful articles on every topic in Positive Psychology.
        There’s also this greater good “science of Happiness” podcast that I listen to
        It’s amazing! ❤️
        How people apply positive Psychology concepts in their daily life… It’s great to start the day listening to it

        Liked by 2 people

      4. It is definitely a great source to find many original sources pertaining to the field of positive psychology! I really enjoy the work coming out of Berkeley as well. That would be a really interesting podcast to listen to, thank you for sharing that resource! Thank you, and I hope you are doing well!

        Liked by 2 people

  3. A relationship with God will automatically give you an awareness that you “WILL NOT” have without the Lord’s presence in your life! No extras needed, it’s just that simply put! Google; Ronald Frye-“God can and God will” ( All you have to do is ask ) Read a few sample chapters. Very intense read!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  7. What a beautiful post. The mixture of these two topics was well needed. This is a great read for a reader like myself who is so psychology professional and soaked in the presence of the Lord through my Christmas faith.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much for your comment! I have also found my psychology background to be very complementary to my faith. I am glad that the post was able to uplift you during the Christmas season. Thank you so much for your comment, and I hope you are doing well!

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  8. I enjoyed reading this. Thank you for sharing! Because of Jesus, we have the ability to begin every single day with fresh mercy and love. And as a result of Jesus’ goodness, it allows us to be more positive in life!

    Like

    Reply
  9. Pingback: Positive Psychology Through Christianity — Positively Psychological – Christ-centered ruminations

Leave a comment