Attitude

I had a friend who seemed to always be happy, always smiling and was pleasant to everyone. Hmmm I thought...doesn't she ever have any problems? Doesn't anything ever make her unhappy?

Then one day I knew of something that came into her life which was not pleasant. And yet, when I saw her she was smiling and pleasant as ever. It came to me then, the answer to my question.

It was not that she didn't have problems. She knew how to deal with them and then continue with her life. Her happiness came from within, not from without. It was a good philosopy.

Since that time I have read other accounts that stated the following: It is not what happens to you that determines your happiness; it is how you deal with what happens to you.

So I choose to be happy.

Lemons

We’ve all read: If life gives you a lemon, make lemonade. Lately I’ve heard: If life gives you a lemon, throw it back and say ‘send something better’. If only it were that simple.

I knew a woman whose father abandoned the family, and the mother and children struggled for years. The result was a daughter who grew up to become an embittered woman. On the other hand, I met a neighbor whose father left the family and the mother and daughter suffered a great deal financially and emotionally, and the daughter came out of it happy and well-balanced. And I wondered …why the difference?

It isn’t what happens to you in life that determines your happiness, but rather what you do after something negative occurs that makes the difference in your life. It is how you choose to deal with the unpleasantness that results in your attitude.

And what is the element that helps or hurts the individuals who suffer? Both women in the above examples attended church and both had mothers who did the best they could. I think the answer has something to do with an inborn view toward things, some indefinable characteristic that tells you how to approach life. And it is a good idea to listen to that inner voice that tells us how to respond to unhappy events in a manner that will help us.

Confidence

Recently I found an old picture of my father and me walking down the street in a middle-sized town where he went to buy car parts for his business. I am about eight years old, small, skinny and neatly-dressed with pigtails that dangled on my shoulders. Daddy wearing an open shirt and slacks is tall and walking confidently with his eyes looking forward, unsmiling but comfortable with what he is doing. I am looking at a store window, curious as always but happy to be with my father.

No matter what ill wind might blow our way, Daddy always looked and spoke confidently about the future. “We can overcome this with God’s help.”

Because of his prevailing attitude I, too, adopted his way of thinking. When something worrisome occurs, I say to members of my family, “We will work it out.” I know God will help us out. He always has. And He always will.

It pays to be confident, to work toward the solution of problems and to know that God is right there waiting for us to call on Him.

Confidence

Recently I found an old picture of my father and me walking down the street in a middle-sized town where he went to buy car parts for his business. I am about eight years old, small, skinny and neatly-dressed with pigtails that dangled on my shoulders. Daddy wearing an open shirt and slacks is tall and walking confidently with his eyes looking forward, unsmiling but comfortable with what he is doing. I am looking at a store window, curious as always but happy to be with my father.

No matter what ill wind might blow our way, Daddy always looked and spoke confidently about the future. “We can overcome this with God’s help.”

Because of his prevailing attitude I, too, adopted his way of thinking. When something worrisome occurs, I say to members of my family, “We will work it out.” I know God will help us out. He always has. And He always will.

It pays to be confident, to work toward the solution of problems and to know that God is right there waiting for us to call on Him.