Facts can be brutal. Life can bite. It can feel like life sometimes rips a part of your heart out. It is sad to see folks experiencing such harsh circumstances. Disease. Abandonment. Unemployment. Betrayal. Abuse. Neglect. Divorce. Bankruptcy. Injury. Loss. There are so many things that can go so terribly wrong in life. To some degree, we are all at the mercy of life’s negatives. One thing’s for sure—things are going to go wrong in our life. It’s inevitable.
However, life’s challenging circumstances can be trumped. Dr. Karl Menninger was right when he said, “Attitudes are more important than facts.” We don’t always get to choose our circumstances (facts), but we can always pick our perspectives (attitudes). Attitudes trump facts. Looking on the bright side, i.e., choosing a positive disposition can be difficult. It may seem, on occasion, impossible. Difficult is not impossible, it’s just difficult. At the very least, we can always reflect on this question (which always has an answer): “What can I learn from this?” There are always things we can learn from the trials we face.
Attitude matters. Negativity breeds defeat. It is hard to overcome anything when we’ve chosen hopelessness. Life change for the better begins when we decide to act better than we feel and take charge of the direction of our life. Dr. Paul Faulkner put it this way: “Grab your ‘wanter’ by your ‘willer’ and make yourself do what you know you ought to do, and God will help you do it” (Making Things Right When Things Go Wrong, p. 22). That’s good advice for daily living!
Dean Miller,
deanmiller@widowhoodworkshop.com
Widowhood Workshop Ministry (Public FB Page)
Widowhood Workshop 