It is one of my all-time favorite movie scenes. Arnold Schwarzenegger is playing a kindergarten teacher, and he is struggling. He wants to play a game and get information, and the kids get sidetracked as only five-year-olds can do. He starts rubbing his head, and a little girl asks what is wrong. Arnold responds, “I have a headache.” The little boy says without pausing, “It might be a tumor.” Then Arnold grumbles in his thick Austrian accept, “It’s not a tumor. Not a tumor. At all.”

Part of what makes the scene funny is the idea of an enormous cop trying to teach little kids. The other part of the humor is that we all know that one person who is exactly like that boy. Perhaps, just possibly, we are like that boy ourselves.

People like this interpret life through a negative lens. Headache? Probably a tumor. Boss wants to talk. Probably losing my job. I haven’t heard from my kids today. They have probably been in an accident. That person looked at me funny. They are probably are spreading lies about me. And on and on it goes.

Is your first reaction to every story you hear a negative one?

Paul told the believers in the city of Philippi, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8 NIV 2011) Believers are to be people who have a transformed mind. One way we demonstrate that change is by focusing on the positive things in life. Those things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, lovely and praiseworthy are to fill our minds and our speech

All of us will experience many things this week, and the question is, will you focus on the good or the bad. Believers are different because they see the good things in life and chose to focus on them.

“It’s just a headache and not a tumor. Oh, and here are some meds to help you out” is a much better response.