See if you can solve this riddle: It is the “advanced man” of our true selves. Its roots are inward, but its fruit is outward. It is our best friend or our worst enemy. It is more honest and more consistent than our words. It is an outward look based on past experiences. It is a thing that draws people to us or repels them from us. It is never content until it is expressed. It is the librarian of our past; it is the speaker of our present; it is the prophet of our future. What is it? It’s our attitude!
Chuck Swindoll said, “Life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we react to it.” Sometimes, when people ask Christ to come into their lives, they think that all their problems will vanish. We must understand that the Christian has problems in this life too, however, the Christian doesn’t have to go through them alone. Jesus is walking with them. You, as God’s child, have a choice to make. You must ask yourself, “Am I going to be moved by my circumstance or will I trust the One who created the world and hung the stars in the sky and called them by name?”
I have a hard time going around people with, what I call, a “Lazarus ‘tude” (behold it stinketh). Some people can’t see anything good about life at all. You can go around them feeling tremendous and within just a few minutes you feel like all the air has been let out of your tires. These people may love the Lord, but they don’t understand the promise of His Word that tells us that God is our source.
I’m thankful that there are people around us who have a great attitude, people who make you feel uplifted and whom you look forward to seeing again. There is someone like that in our church. She always has a good attitude. I believe there are two reasons that she is this way. First, she knows Christ as her Savior, and therefore, Christ is her source. Second, she has made a choice to have a good attitude. A good attitude is our choice.
I’m reminded of a little boy who was overheard talking to himself as he strutted through the backyard, baseball cap in place, toting ball and bat. He was heard to say, “I’m the greatest hitter in the world.” Then he tossed the ball into the air, swung at it, and missed. “Strike one!” Undaunted he picked up the ball, threw it into the air and said to himself, “I’m the greatest baseball hitter ever,” and he swung at the ball again. And again he missed. “Strike two!” He paused a moment to examine his bat and ball carefully. Then a third time he threw the ball into the air. “I’m the greatest hitter who ever lived,” he said. He swung the bat hard again, missing it a third time. He cried out, “Wow! Strike three! What a pitcher! I’m the greatest pitcher in the world!”
But someone may ask, “How can I have the right attitude when everything is going so wrong in my life? How do I have the peace of God with the waves of life coming against me?”
Several years ago, a submarine was being tested and had to remain submerged for many hours. When it returned to the harbor, the captain was asked, “How did the terrible storm last night affect you?” The officer looked at him in surprise and exclaimed, “Storm? We didn’t even know there was one!” The sub had been so far beneath the surface that it had reached the area known to sailors as “the cushion of the sea.” Although the ocean may be whipped into huge waves by high winds, the waters below are never stirred.
The Christian’s mind will be protected against the distracting waves of worry if it is resting completely in the good providence of God. There, sheltered by His grace and encouraged by His Holy Spirit, the believer can find the perfect tranquility that only Christ can provide.
Always remember these two things: GOD is your source; and you ARE going to make it.
Mindful of His Ways 