Tuesday, November 21, 2017

ANGRY OR GRATEFUL


"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
Attitude to me is more important than facts. It's more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company...a church...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you...we are in charge of our attitudes."

        These profound words were written by Pastor Charles Swindoll many years ago. Yes, I agree; on a very practical level, life is 10% what happens to us, and 90% how you react to it.

        We all know people who are so angry, they are toxic. We avoid negative toxic people; it's better that way. There is no 'one size fits all'; there are many reasons for anger. Often the person who attacks you is more angry at themselves than you. They may be very unhappy about their circumstances or something that has happened in the past and never resolved. Many become very angry that they can't control their life or others in their life.

        In other words, they are not at peace with themselves or the world. If you are a Christian, you can find peace, even joy in knowing a sovereign God loves you; you are His child. He is always watching out for you and has a plan for your life and He will bring it to pass, even when you think it's hopeless.

"For I know the plans I have for you , declares the Lord, plans for  welfare and not calamity to give you a future and a hope."  Jeremiah 29:11 -  NAS Version

         It's easier at times to see what is wrong in our life rather than what we have to be grateful for. I had a friend a few years ago who woke up one morning and couldn't see, she was blind. Rather than become angry and bitter that she had lost her sight, she was so grateful for the many years she could see. She and her husband became active in an organization that help the blind and visually impaired. The Lord used them to witness to others with the same struggle and they became a source for hope and inspiration.

        Once we understand that whatever comes our way is from the hand of God, anger turns to acceptance and then acceptance can turn into gratitude. Instead of being mad at the world, we can praise the Lord and walk by faith. "...for we walk by faith, not by sight..." 2 Corinthians 5:7.  

        As you celebrate Thanksgiving Day ask the Lord for an 'attitude of gratitude'. Worth repeating, "Life is 10% what happens and 90% how you deal with it."

        If you have started to think about Christmas gifts, you may want to take a look at these two titles on Amazon. The God Who Sees Me is a collection of my blogs, and How is The Day? is about the experience I had as a short term missionary in Uganda, Africa with the Rafiki organization. Both of these books are available as e-books, very inexpensive, or hard copy.




 
Lord we are grateful for the all the good things you have given us. Help us to see them so we can replace anger with gratitude.