IT'S ALL IN MY ....

PRACTICE: Think about your last great day. Describe you – not the circumstances – describe you.

Sometimes I awaken from sleep gently. Other mornings, the alarm abruptly interrupts my restoration time. I have noticed when I smoothly and softly come out of slumber there are these few moments of being so acutely aware of my surroundings that it leaves me almost breathless. I feel the silence of the world and it covers me like a soft blanket. If I am completely still for a few moments, I slowly become aware of a bird singing. Before long, I will notice more birds singing until there is a full orchestra. I am aware of the unique sound of my house. I can hear the gentle roar of the traffic on a busy street a half mile away. That’s what happens when I embrace those moments. On the other hand, the alarm almost always produces another reaction. The alarm irritates me.

Here’s what I have determined to be true. The chirping birds that I hear on those gently awakening mornings didn’t stop singing because of the alarm. The silence didn’t cease being a soft blanket. The traffic didn’t stop rolling. So, what makes the difference? The answer is so simple that it is almost not an answer at all. I make the difference. I have the choice of embracing and living those few moments with an attitude of gratefulness or living those few moments irritated and wishing I was still asleep. It is all about attitude.

My days are filled with opportunities such as this. Instead of griping about the traffic, why not look at it as an opportunity to notice the vegetation along the roadside or pray for peace and wholeness for those around me sitting in traffic. Instead of fighting an internal war about the foolishness of the workplace, why don’t I explore and possibly identify the root cause of the foolishness. Instead of saying “I have to go to the gym” say “I get to go the gym what an awesome privilege.” An attitude adjustment can work wonders. Attitude is the only difference between a blessing and a curse.

I love the gentle mornings. I’d like for them all to be that way – not likely to happen. I do understand that IT IS ALL IN MY ATTITUDE and that increases the probability of having them more frequently.

Philippians 4:8

PONDER THIS THOUGHT – An attitude adjustment can change my world.