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By Rev Don Rivers
Have you ever wondered if the way we approach things matters? Does the attitude with which we go about our day-to-day activities have an influence on those around us? You know that we can change any encounter with our attitude. We can change things for the better or worse. Our attitude has a great influence on the way others will respond. Do we have the proper frame of mind? Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
When you step back and take a look at life you start to realize how few things we control. We have no control over the things that happen to us. Think about how many times a race driver has said “I got caught up in someone else’s mess.” When you race you have control of the decisions you make, but there are many other drivers out there with you who are making decisions independent of yours. None of those other drivers are thinking the same thing you are. Their decisions will be what they think is most beneficial to them and the race they are running.
I have seen many races where decisions of one driver ended the day for another. I have seen a driver retaliate for an incident and end up taking out another competitor who had nothing to do with it. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He had no control over what the other two drivers were doing, but their decisions cost him and he did not finish the race. We do not have the control we think we have.
There is one thing we always have control of; we have control over how we respond to the decisions of the others. There are always two sides to every story. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. A wise person holds their tongue, and actions, until they know the whole story.
Sometimes we respond before we figure out what really happened and make a fool of ourselves. Remember the old adage, “Put your mind in gear before you put your mouth in motion.” In the heat of the battle we forget to think first and speak later.
Proverbs 17:28; Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.
When we think about the choices we make and how that makes us feel, we determine our attitude, our frame of mind. We always have the choice to decide how we are going to look at something. The glass can be half full or half empty. Most times our frame of mind will influence how those around us respond. Our attitude is contagious. How do we frame things, positively or negatively?
Think about how we react to difficult circumstances. How we react to challenges. How do we react when things are not going the way we thought they would? Are we able to look beyond the circumstances and into the lives of those around us? Are we able to frame things in a way that shows more concern for others than ourselves? We don’t have to let circumstance dictate our attitude.
Everyone understands our disappointment or discouragement when things aren’t going well, but when our attitude contrasts our situation people take notice. That is when people wonder what we have that they don’t.
