Here’s the “Attitude” quote from Chuck Swindoll that I read in the talk yesterday (2/12/12) from James 1:2-12 on “Turning your trials to trust.”
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, 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 everyday 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% of how I react to it. And so it is with us … we are in charge of our attitude.”
Okay, attitude is a choice, not an inherited trait, so we can lose the “I can’t help it; I was born this way! That’s just the way I am!” excuse. So which attitude do you choose? Here’s a quick test:
Would most of your friends say that you are…
– Mostly Positive (the glass is half full) or … Mostly Negative (the glass is half empty)
– Usually Thankful and Appreciative or … Usually Disappointed and Complaining
– Friendly and Welcoming or … Cold and Offputting
– Easy to get along with or … Senstitive and “High Maintenance”
– Affirming and Accepting or … Critical and Fault Finding
– A Faithful Friend or … Unreliable and Untrustworthy
– Humble or … Proud
– Other-Centered (It’s really not about me) or … Self-Centered (It’s all about me)
– Kind or… Selfish
– Welcomes helpful criticism or … Thin-skinned, unable to take any criticism
– Generous/A Giver or … Cheap/A Taker
– Responsible for yourself or … Needy and Expecting
We all have a choice to make about our attitude every morning when we put our feet on the floor: What is my attitude going to be today towards my family and friends, my co-workers, my classmates and teammates? Choose wisely and well. No excuses.
Resting in Him,
Steve
Leave a Reply