No matter who we are, whatever our age or life situation, the unpredictability of life can get us down.
The truth is that sometimes life is hard.
That's true even for those of us who are Christians. I am and I trust God's many promises to be with us and to be our strength. Perhaps you do, too.
When trouble comes knocking we cling to these Bible promises as a drowning person to a lifeline. We long to take God at his word and yet ... sometimes we feel very alone and headed for disaster.
Our desire is to be strong and immovable but we feel tossed around like driftwood.
That's the time to turn to God's promises in the Bible. For example, one that's cherished by many believers is God's promise to the Israelites after they had been exiled in Babylon. It's from Jeremiah, Chapter 29:11 (NLT):
"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."
To find our footing, grab onto these truths and refuse to let go
Life often feels like too much to handle on our own. That's when it helps so much to share the load with our best Friend, Jesus, and turn over our fears and doubts to him. Prayer is nothing more than talking to him as we would to a friend we can trust.
It's good to remind ourselves that all through life our attitude--our mindset--determines how we react and how we deal with whatever life hands out.
It's exactly as the writer of Proverbs said in 23:7a:
As he thinks in his heart, so is he. --NKJV
This verse applies to every one of us: As we think in our minds, so we are. When we truly absorb that into our minds and hearts it's not long before we become more aware of how consistently that principle works.
Is this easy to do? No. We first need to set aside our "logical thinking" and acquired theories and be ready to trust as simply as small children do. Only then will we be ready to put our hand into our loving Heavenly Father's hand and walk in faith.
It's often helpful to make lists and write down what we know is true with a pen and paper. There's something about the act of writing our thoughts down on paper that helps us clarify patterns and shows us when we're chasing our tail rather than getting closer to finding answers.
The bottom line: How we react to what comes can strengthen us in our struggles or ramp up our fears.
No one can take away our power to choose how we think
That's been true from the beginning because God creates only one-of-a-kind human beings. No one else makes us think a certain way. That freedom belongs to each of us alone.
Chuck Swindoll, well-known Christian pastor and writer, wrote a lot about attitude in one of his most-loved books, Strengthening Your Grip.
Here are some quotes--and paraphrases--taken from that book:
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than the past. More important than education."
More important than how much money we have--or don't have.
More important than failures or successes.
More important than what other people think or say or do.
It is more important than our age or the state of our health.
Attitude will make or break a company. A church. A marriage. A family.
I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it.
Every day we choose the outlook we will put on for the day
Chuck's conclusions are true for you and me. Every day of our lives we choose our attitude and then our attitudes rule our lives.
Our perspective on any situation rules how we think about it.
If you doubt that, consider a common "for instance" like this. Picture yourself dragging around and feeling depressed--and maybe not knowing why. Then comes an unexpected phone call, a text or an email that lifts your heart. In an instant your gloom and sadness turn into smiles.
Often nothing has changed except the way we look at our life.
Putting it into practice day by day
Over the years I've learned that what I say to myself just after I wake up makes a difference all day long. Those first thoughts set the tone for my waking hours.
During those waking-up moments I often take a mental inventory. I can say to myself, Oh, I wish I could stay in bed all day! I am not looking forward to the same old, same old of my life. I need a break!
Or I can think, This is the day the Lord has given me as a gift. I WILL rejoice and be glad in it! (Psalm 118:24)
Thanking God for being able to breathe and walk and talk doesn't take away any aches or morning stiffness I might experience. What it does is shift my perspective just a little bit. It reminds me that every day of my life is God's gift and in Him I live and move and have my being. (Acts 17:28)
This slight twist to how I start off my day shifts my thoughts to a more positive track and makes the whole day better.
Moment-by-moment, we choose where we park our minds
I don't know about you, but this is the lesson I seem to need to relearn, over and over.
As I think in my heart, so I am--and so is my life.
Here's to all of us being teachable. All. Our. Days.
Lenore
