I have come to realize and appreciate the impact the attitude(s) we choose in life has on us. Our attitude drives our behavior and can dictate our level of happiness in life. In other words, choosing the right attitude in life will drive the right behavior in your life which in turn will determine your happiness.
Attitude is a choice you make. You have an option to choose your attitude in every situation or circumstance you find yourself….that is your choice and you are entitled to that. Attitude can get very contagious, thus surrounding yourself with positive thinkers and having a positive outlook on life can go a long way. Again, attitude is contagious so is yours worth catching? Yes, it is very true that in certain situations it’s almost impossible to stay positive. But guess what? God will never bring on us more than we can handle or put His children in situations He cannot get them out of. In other words, He will never bring you to anything He will not bring you through. So, live each day as if It was your last with a heart full of gratitude and joy for God is in control; we just have to choose to believe in Him which comes down to choosing your attitude.
The prophet Amos wrote: “It will be as though a man fled from a lion, And a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, Leaned his hand on the wall, And a serpent bit him!” Amos 5:19 NKJV
The context of this text is that Amos was talking about an unrighteous man but I think it sums up the phrase, “One of those days”. I mean you escape from a lion thinking you are home free, only to meet a bear, you outwit the bear and finally get home safe, are you really safe? Because you rest on your wall to take a breather and exclaim, “What a narrow escape, that was close” but little did you know that a snake was patiently waiting for you. Whew!
Sometimes calamities come to us in levels and series; one after another after another after another … I think you get the idea. The question is how should we respond to such things? It is ATTITUDE! Oscar Wilde said “We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars” Defeat is not bitter, unless you swallow it. We cannot direct the wind but we can certainly adjust the sails.
Life is great. Don’t let your circumstances and situations fool you into thinking otherwise. A human being can alter his life by simply altering his attitude. A man was complaining of having no shoes until he met a man who had no legs. Oftentimes, a change in a person’s attitude is needed more than a change of scene or a change in circumstance. God doesn’t always calm the storm; sometimes He calms His child in the midst of the storm. Those of us living in Minnesota have had some “crazy” snow storms in the last couple of weeks but we are thankful to God because we haven’t had an earthquake in a long time. Hey, that’s my attitude.
Let me leave you with this story one of my mentors, John Maxwell shared. A traveler nearing a great city asked an old man seated by the road, “What are the people like in this city?”
“What were they like where you came from?” The old man asked
“Horrible.” The traveler reported. “Mean, untrustworthy, detestable in all respects.”
“Ah,” said the old man, “You will find them the same in the city ahead.”
Scarcely had the first traveler gone on his way when another stopped to inquire about the people in the city ahead of him. Again the old man asked about the people in the place the traveler has just left.
“They were fine people: honest, industrious, and generous to a fault,” declared the second traveler. “I was sorry to leave.”
The old man responded, “That’s exactly how you’ll find the people here.”
What am I saying? It is all about your ATTITUDE. Life is good; it all depends on how you see it.
Positively alter your life by positively altering your attitude. Yes it’s easier said than done. But again guess what? Each attempt to positively change your attitude is a step closer to your happiness. Your attitude will determine your altitude. Go through each moment in a day with a smile on your face and in your heart believing that there’s something good in each day. Choose your happiness don’t let happiness choose you.
I will leave you all for now, if we don’t meet again, I will see you at the dinner table in Papa’s house.
Rev. Kingsley Ayesu.