The Bright Side
A cute saying, or a command from God.
Looking on the Bright Side
We’ve all heard the phrase: “Look on the bright side.” Most of the time, it sounds like a light little saying, the kind of thing you tell someone when you don’t know what else to say. But I’ve learned it’s more than just a cute phrase—it can be the very thing that keeps you going when life feels too heavy.
The bright side only exists because there’s also a dark side. Like two sides of a coin, every situation has both. You can stay on the dark side, where complaining and self-pity take over, where fear and doubt seem to be the loudest voices. Or—you can choose to look at the other side. The side that says, “Yes, it’s hard, but God is still good. Yes, I feel broken, but He is near to the brokenhearted.” (Psalm 34:18)
The Shift
I’ve noticed something: looking on the bright side isn’t about pretending the dark side doesn’t exist. It’s about choosing what I’ll hold onto. Scripture calls it renewing your mind. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
That means when the world says, “It’s hopeless,” the Word says, “With God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)
When my heart whispers fear, God reminds me, “I have not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
The bright side is always what God says, not what my circumstances say.
A Conversation in My Head
I don’t know if you ever have these conversations in your head where one thought is pulling you down and the other is trying to lift you up. That’s the battle of the mind. Paul put it this way: “We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5)
So when a thought says, “You’ll never get out of this,” I have to stop it and say, “No—God has plans to give me a hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
That’s what looking on the bright side really is. It’s telling your thoughts which side to stand on.
Words That Carry Weight
And then there are the words that actually come out of our mouths. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” I catch myself sometimes, speaking from the dark side—complaining, worrying out loud, or just repeating how bad something is.
But then the Spirit nudges me: “Speak life. Say what I say.” Isaiah 55:11 tells us that God’s Word will not return empty—it will accomplish what He sends it to do. So when I open my mouth, I want to line my words up with His words, not with fear.
The Midnight Song
One of my favorite reminders comes from Paul and Silas. They had every reason to sulk on the dark side. Beaten, chained, sitting in a prison cell. Yet the Bible says:
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God… Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.” (Acts 16:25–26)
They sang in the dark, and God brought the light. That’s what praise does. It shifts everything.
The Gentle Invitation
So when I hear, “Look on the bright side,” I no longer roll my eyes like it’s just a platitude. I hear it as an invitation from the Lord: “Child, don’t stay stuck in the dark. Choose My light. Choose My Word. Choose My promises.”
Because no matter how bad it looks, there’s another side to it. And His side—the bright side—is always the victory side.
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)
A prayer for you
Lord, thank You that no matter what I’m walking through, there is always another side—Your side. Help me to turn my eyes away from fear, worry, and negativity and fix them on Your promises. Teach me to renew my mind with Your Word, to guard my tongue, and to choose gratitude even in the hard places.
When the dark side feels louder, remind me that Your light always wins. Give me the courage to sing in the midnight hour like Paul and Silas, knowing that You are breaking chains even when I can’t see it.
Today, I choose the bright side. I choose to believe what You say about me and my situation. Thank You that Your Word never returns void and that You are always faithful. In Jesus’ name, amen.
