I read an inspiring story about an elderly lady. The time had come for her to move out of her own beautiful home, which she had enjoyed for so many years, into a nursing home.
“I love my new room!” she told her friend. “How can you say that?” the friend asked. “You haven’t even seen it yet.”
“Oh, I just made up my mind ahead of time to love my room,” was the response.
Wow.
I would not have that attitude. I would want to see it before I give my opinion. Is it too small? Too institutional looking? Not enough light? What about adequate drawer space? Does it seem like it might be too hot or too cold in there? What’s the view out of my window? What color are the walls? And the bed – is the bed comfortable?
“She decided ahead of time, in her mind, to be happy,” Joyce Meyer wrote about this woman in her book “How to Age Without Growing Old.”
This dear lady could have allowed herself to be depressed and dwell on all she was leaving behind in her house, but she chose optimism instead.
With her attitude, I suspect that once she moved into her new digs, she even looked for (and found) advantages over her former situation.
I would bet that she quickly made new friends and enjoyed the social life. Perhaps the musicians and others who came into the facility to cheer and help the elderly blessed her. And I wouldn’t be surprised if she became a blessing herself to many around her and taught them by example to be more cheerful.
No, I doubt that I would have had her good attitude – but I wish I could approach more things in life that way. I do not want to lean toward negativity, complaining and discontent. When things change that I’m not thrilled about, I’d like to embrace them like that lady did.
Positive thinking alone will not make us continual overcomers who see the bright side. I believe that only Jesus’ powerful enabling presence in our lives does that.
In the Bible, Paul wrote “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” (Phil. 4:11-12, NIV)
And where was Paul when he penned those words? In a dismal jail cell! What an example for all of us!
“It is always possible to be thankful for what is given rather than to complain about what is not given,” wrote Elisabeth Elliott. “One or the other becomes a habit of life.”
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