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POSITIVE ATTITUDE
More than 100 years ago, author Robert Louis Stevenson offered the following tips for maintaining a positive attitude. They still apply today.
*· Make up your mind to be happy. Learn to find pleasure in simple things. *
* Make the best of your circumstances. Everyone has problems. The trick is to make laughter outweigh the tears.*
*· Don't take yourself too seriously. Don't think that somehow you should be protected from misfortunes that befall others. *
*· You can't please everybody. Don't let criticism worry you. *
*· Don't let your neighbor set your standards. Be yourself. *
*· Do the things you enjoy doing, but stay out of debt. *
*· Don't borrow trouble. Imaginary burdens are harder to bear than the actual ones. *
*· Hate poisons the soul, so don't carry grudges. Avoid people who make you unhappy. *
*· Have many interests. If you can't travel, read about new places. *
*· Don't hold post-mortems. Don't spend your life brooding over sorrows and mistakes. *
*· Do what you can for those less fortunate than yourself. *
*· Keep busy at something. A busy person never has time to be unhappy.*
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The Perfect Mistake
A beautiful story to share . . .
My Mother's father worked as a carpenter. On this particular day, he was building crates for the clothes his church was sending to orphanages in China. On his way home, he reached into his shirt pocket for his glasses, but they were gone. When he mentally replayed his
earlier actions, he realised the glasses had slipped out of his pocket unnoticed and fallen into one of the crates, which he had nailed shut. His brand new glasses were heading for China!
The Great Depression was at its height and Grandpa had six children. That very morning, he had spent $20 for those glasses, and was upset by the thought of having to buy another pair.
"It's not fair," he told God as he drove home in frustration. "I've been very faithful in giving of my time and money to your work, and now this."
Months later, the director of the orphanage was on furlough in the United States. He wanted to visit all the churches that supported him in China, so he came to speak one Sunday at my grandfather's small church in Chicago.
The missionary began by thanking the people for their faithfulness in supporting the orphanage.
"But most of all," he said, "I must thank you for the glasses you sent last year. You see, the Communists had just swept through the orphanage, destroying everything, including my glasses. I was desperate. Even if I'd had the money, there was simply no way of replacing those glasses. Along with not being able to see well, I experienced headaches every day, so my co-workers and I were much in prayer about this.
Then your crates arrived. When my staff removed the covers, they found a pair of glasses lying right on top.
The missionary paused long enough to let his words sink in. Then, still gripped with the wonder of it all, he continued, "Folks, when I tried on the glasses,it was as though they had been
custom made just for me! I want to thank you for being a part of that."
The people listened, happy for the miraculous glasses. But the missionary surely must have confused their church with another, they thought. There were no glasses on their list of items to be sent overseas.
But sitting quietly in the back, with tears streaming down his face, an ordinary carpenter realised the Master Carpenter had used him in an extraordinary way.
There are times we want to blame God instead of thanking him, which we ought to do more often. I have to remember this in times of trial with my own family.
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