We can truly
be peaceful in the middle of tempests. I am not saying that we should all be
able to be carefree in the midst of horrific natural and unnatural disasters.
That would seem unworkable and heartless.
I am mainly
talking about remaining peaceful in the inevitable
drawbacks that life brings—as far as possible. We can’t control many of our circumstances. But, we are in charge of
our reactions to them. As seen in the image above, even
hurricanes/cyclones have areas of tranquility in the middle. This
is called the eye of the storm. Rain and wind is
almost nonexistent. In the same way, every person has a center of calmness.
Okay, I know
that digging deep within ourselves to find peace is anything but easy for most
people. Like many individuals, I have plenty of ongoing trials. Many of them do
not seem to be improving. Since I cannot control them, I have been struggling to
change my outlook. The only other option is despair, which, of course, is not a viable alternative.
The Need for joy Amid Turbulence
Recently, I
posted three articles about attitude here, here, and here. I’m going to continue that theme
today.
Joel Osteen
says that we create much of our own
happiness. I would like to summarize two
stories that he told:
The Amusement Park
A lady and her family waited 45 minutes to
ride a popular amusement-park ride. The long wait annoyed her. When the family
finally boarded the ride, it was short and disappointing. She scowled and
complained loudly as she exited the attraction. The people waiting in line
stared. Her family, on the other hand, came out smiling and chatting happily.
The Hurricane
During a
recent hurricane that hit Texas, a local TV reporter interviewed some of the
victims. Understandably, 99% of the victims cried and told stories of various
levels of devastation. However, one lady approached the news team smiling and
seemingly happy. She said that her house had been totally washed away in the
flood waters. She had nothing left. Literally. Yet, she had her Bible and her
health. She planned to start her life over.
A good
attitude is crucial. As Joel Osteen says, “Complain
and remain. Praise and be raised.”
The Methods for Praising/Showing
Thankfulness
There are
numerous ways to cultivate an attitude of gratitude. Each person must choose
what works best for them. Individuals may choose to
write down, think about, read, play, or sing selections that boost their mood.
The Bible
The
scriptures are full of examples of the necessity to move beyond a rocky past or
present. The future is the place to
focus if we don’t want our lives to remain exactly as they are now.
My Conclusion
Every day,
we have plenty of opportunities to think in either an optimistic or pessimistic
manner. However, if we cultivate a negative mentality, we can’t expect to live
in victory. That’s a kind of tunnel vision. We are more likely to find success when we expand our ability to see
beyond present and past drawbacks.
“Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze
directly before you.” Proverbs 4:25 (NIV)
Please see more about cultivating a good attitude in my book, Accept No Trash
Talk: Overcoming the Odds.
Are you singing in your (temporary) storms?
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