Where There's a Will

By Judith

How many times have you heard someone say that whenever adversity arises, how you handle it is all in the attitude.

One of Our Word's friends, for example, has this situation in her work place. A key person is getting ready to retire and his attitude has gone downhill. "Not my problem" or "I don't care, I'm not going to be around" is the response when something difficult comes up. Now apparently this person has felt ill-used for some time and there is a great deal to be discussed on how employees are treated. However, having a job and receiving a paycheck implies a certain responsibility to perform the duties of the job regardless of the situation.

Now let's look at how attitude can make a difference. If one chooses to focus on how bad the situation is and wants to play the victim card then that person not only makes himself miserable, but brings everyone else down. If the person decides that he only has a short time left and is going to make the best of it, then he has the opportunity to not only make himself feel better, he can be of service to others and offer up his sacrifice at the same time.

Where does attitude come from in the first place? We all know people with sunny dispositions and those who continually see the world through morose-colored glasses. Is this just nature, or do people largely decide how they will react to situations? Our outward attitude is influenced by our will, and how our will is formed can make all the difference. Have we conformed our will to God's or have we decided to forge it in our own image? Are we going it alone, subject to being tossed by the gale, or are we sailing in the boat with the One who can calm the wind?

There are countless situations in our lives that can be made better by setting our will by God's compass. This doesn't mean that we have to live our lives as doormats or be Pollyannas. It means that even though we may have to put up with things that we don't like, we can still make them an opportunity for grace.