Most people like to be in control. It feels good to be the person calling the shots–the one with hands on the wheel, deciding the destination and the route to take. But quickly we learn that most of life’s events are out of our control. As a matter of fact, we don’t control as much as we think we do.
However, one thing we can control is how we respond to situations and people. We have power over our thoughts and attitude.
A famous psychologist once said, “Attitude is more important than facts.”
Only we can determine our attitude. Every day we make hundreds of choices. One of the more important is how we react internally to the daily circumstances life serves us.
READ MORE: POSITIVE THOUGHTS FROM NORMAN VINCENT PEALE
A small town in Maine was proposed as the site of a new hydro-electric plant. A dam was to be built across the river and the town submerged. When the project was announced, the people were given many months to arrange their affairs and relocate.
During those months, a curious thing happened. All improvements ceased. No painting was done. No repairs were made. Day by day the whole town got shabbier and shabbier. A long time before the waters came to destroy the town, it looked abandoned. One citizen explained: “Where there is no faith in the future, there is no power in the present.”
Our faith shapes our outlook for today, tomorrow and the future.
One of the most positive people we encounter in Scripture is the Apostle Paul, who underwent great suffering for the cause of the gospel. What was the key to his outlook, you might ask? His writings reveal what influenced his attitude, “I am convinced that nothing can ever separate me from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow–not even the power of hell can separate us from God’s love.”
Knowing God is in control frees us to see the future through the prism of faith. With this perspective, thinking positively is positively possible!
Share with us below what helps you maintain a positive attitude about life. How do you overcome negative thoughts?
Lord, instill in me a positive faith-filled outlook and engrave in my mind the truth that nothing can separate me from Your love.
