One of the great freedoms that God has given us is the freedom to choose our attitude. We may not be able to choose or to change the circumstance or trial we're going through. We can't handpick the family we're born into. Sometimes we don't get a say in where we live or whether we're healthy or sick, rich or poor. But we CAN choose our attitude.
Today was challenging for me at work. While most of the time I enjoy my job, right now I'm feeling stretched extremely thin. I feel like I don't have enough time to do as thorough a job as I'd like to on certain projects, and that's frustrating. And there's no sign of relief in sight. But I determined that I could either let that frustration ruin my day, or I could suck it up and do the best job that I could do today, and not worry about all the projects waiting for me tomorrow.
A storm blew through my neighborhood yesterday, packing fierce winds that dislodged several branches from my trees. One rather large branch in particular fell on part of my back fence, and will require repair. It's frustrating to have to deal with contacting a fence company, hoping they'll be able to come out to fix in a timely fashion without too much expense, etc. But I can choose to let that frustration get to me, or I can look on the bright side. As my dad pointed out, at least I didn't suffer damage to my roof or a window or my car. Considering how strong those winds were (and how many trees are in my yard), the damage could have been much worse.
There are certain prayers that I've been praying for a long time, years even, and some days I'm tempted to give up on praying them because I'm seeing little or no fruit. Sometimes it seems easier to give up hope when there's no glimmer of hope on the horizon. But I can either choose to give in to that doubt, or I can choose to believe that, despite all evidence to the contrary, God IS hearing my prayers--and even better, that He is working out plans for my life that are far greater than what I've dared to hope for. I can choose to fix my eyes on what is unseen and trust that He will come through for me.
Keeping a right attitude--one of patience, gratitude, and hope--is far easier said than done. But the less I rely on circumstances to determine my outlook and instead look to the Author and Perfecter of my faith, the better life is.
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2 days ago
4 comments:
I can relate to being frustrated with the storm damage.
I can relate to being stretched very thin at work.
God always works it out in a good way.
Sometimes I feel that the changes we can choose add to our frustration and lessen our dependence on God. But it is good to remember that attitude is sometimes the most important choice we make.
I can relate. Very frustrating.
I preach these messages to my girls all the time, but seldom remember to pay attention to what I am saying. One of my huge challenges every day is not to let my situations dictate my day.
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