We Can Choose Our Attitudes

            As a result of talking to and listening to many clients and others as well as from own life experiences, I was thinking about how people respond to circumstances. Why is it that two people can be experiencing a similar situation yet the way that they respond is different? Of course, there could be many reasons for that. God, however, reminded me that our attitude is key. I remember reading a poem by Charles Swindoll that reminds us of this truth.

Attitude

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, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes,
than what others 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% how I react to it.
And so it is with you...
we are in charge of our attitudes.

Charles Swindoll

As we can see, we are faced with a choice about our attitudes. A scripture verse in Philippians 4:8 further helps us to cultivate an attitude that reflects the love of Christ:

"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy; meditate on these things."

                                    Submitted by: Ann L. Gantt, Ph.D., LCSW, NEW HOPE counselor