Attitude Instructions

Attitude Instructions

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

These verses are packed with attitude instructions. That’s a good thing, because our attitude toward what life throws at us has so much to do with the outcome.

In his book Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl recounts the unspeakable horrors of his longtime imprisonment in Nazi concentration camps like Auschwitz and Dachau, where he was stripped of everything. His father, mother, brother, and wife had died in similar camps. Yet despite losing all his possessions; having all value destroyed; suffering from hunger, cold, and brutality; and expecting his own execution to come at any moment, Frankl still found that life was worth preserving.

In what little there seemed to be left of his life, he found value and hope. Despite his circumstances, he had not been stripped of one of the last human freedoms—“the ability to choose our attitude despite our given set of circumstances.”

Frankl’s experiences serve as a reminder that even though we can’t always choose our circumstances, we can always choose our attitude in the circumstances. We can realize the capacity within each of us, with God’s hand on our backs, to rise above those circumstances. Our choice reveals the depth of our inner character directing our lives and will shine brightly in the most dire circumstances, whether the outcome is life or death.

God has given each of us potential—to know Him, to receive Him, and then through Him to make a difference in this world, one person at a time.

Uncommon Key > Attitude is everything—or at least a great, big piece of everything! Check your attitude as you do small tasks and then take on greater things. Your attitude should be the same for both.