The Altitude Of Your Attitude
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The Altitude of Your Attitude: Choosing Joy in Life's Turbulent Seasons
Life has a peculiar way of coming at us, doesn't it? Some mornings we wake up feeling unstoppable, ready to conquer whatever the day brings. Other mornings, we wake up feeling off—and suddenly everything that follows seems to go sideways. The coffee spills, traffic is unbearable, work is frustrating, and by the time we get home, we're ready to pull the covers over our heads and try again tomorrow.
But here's a profound truth that can transform how we experience our days: while we cannot always control what happens to us, we absolutely can control how we respond to it.
The Power of Decisive Living
In Joshua 24:14-15, we find a challenge that echoes through the ages: "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve." This isn't a suggestion—it's an invitation to decisive living. Joshua understood something crucial about human nature: indecisiveness is often our greatest hindrance. When we waffle between commitments, when we keep one foot in faith and one foot in the world, we set ourselves up for instability.
The Old Testament is filled with examples of people who couldn't make up their minds. One generation would serve God faithfully, the next would chase after other gods, and then another would swing back again. This spiritual whiplash left them exhausted and unfulfilled.
The same pattern plays out in modern life. We live in a culture saturated with options—different religions, philosophies, ideologies, and countless things competing for our devotion. Beyond formal religions, we have other idols: career success, financial security, social media validation, entertainment, or comfort. The question remains the same: what will we decisively choose to build our lives around?
Making a clear decision about who we serve fundamentally determines how we live. It sets our direction, influences our choices, and shapes our character.
Transforming Your Mind, Transforming Your Life
Romans 12:1-2 offers us a roadmap: "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." This isn't about positive thinking or self-help mantras. It's about something far more powerful—choosing our mindset over our circumstances.
We are not meant to be merely reactive creatures, blown about by whatever wind happens to be blowing that day. We have the capacity for intentionality. We can decide in advance how we will approach our day, regardless of what it brings.
Philippians 4:8-9 gives us practical guidance on this transformation: "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
This is the secret to maintaining joy in difficult seasons. When the storms rage, when the diagnosis comes, when the job is lost, when relationships fracture—we still have control over what we allow to occupy our thoughts. We can choose to dwell on what's praiseworthy rather than what's painful.
Visit a cancer ward sometime, and you'll witness this principle in action. You'll find people facing terminal diagnoses who somehow radiate joy and peace. How is this possible? They've made a conscious choice about what to focus on. They've decided not to waste their remaining time being miserable, but instead to celebrate what remains.
Here's the sobering reality check: we are all terminal. From the moment we're born, we're moving toward death. The only difference between someone with a diagnosis and the rest of us is that they know their timeline is shorter. But all of us face the same question: will we choose to live joyfully, or will we waste our days in misery and complaint?
Choosing Joy and Gratitude as a Response
First Thessalonians 5:16-18 gives us three powerful commands: "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances."
Notice what these verses don't say. They don't say "rejoice when everything is going well" or "give thanks when life is easy." They say always. In all circumstances. This means when the tornado is ripping through your life, when thunder and lightning are crashing all around, when chaos reigns—rejoice then too.
This isn't denial or toxic positivity. It's a deliberate choice to recognize that even in the darkest valleys, there are things worthy of gratitude. There is always something praiseworthy in our lives, even when we have to look hard to find it.
Praying continually isn't about only calling on God when we're desperate. It's about maintaining constant communion with Him, in good times and bad. It's relational, not transactional.
Biblical Examples of Choosing Well
The Bible gives us powerful examples of people who chose their attitude in the midst of terrible circumstances.
Joseph, after being sold into slavery by his brothers, falsely accused, and imprisoned, eventually rose to power in Egypt. When he finally faced his brothers again, he could have chosen bitterness and revenge. Instead, he said, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (Genesis 50:20). He chose to see God's purpose in his pain.
Job, who lost everything—his children, his wealth, his health—refused to curse God. Instead, he declared, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised" (Job 1:21). This was a conscious choice to honor God even when he couldn't understand why such suffering had come.
Paul and Silas, beaten and imprisoned, chose to pray and sing hymns at midnight (Acts 16:25). The other prisoners listened in amazement because this response was so unusual, so countercultural. Nobody does this—except those who have discovered the secret of choosing joy regardless of circumstances.
Life to the Full
When Jesus promised to give us "life to the full," He wasn't promising material prosperity or a trouble-free existence. In fact, He warned us that in this world we would have trouble. What He was offering was something far more valuable—the ability to experience deep, abiding joy regardless of our external circumstances.
Life will always be a roller coaster of ups and downs, hills and valleys. But we can choose to maintain a level emotional and spiritual ground even while riding those ups and downs. We cannot change the unpredictability of life, but our attitude is not unpredictable—it's a choice.
Soaring High
Think of your attitude like altitude. Are you digging in the dirt, getting caught in the treetops, or soaring high above? The choice is yours.
God doesn't want you struggling in the mud. He wants you soaring, experiencing the fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—no matter what's happening around you.
This is the abundant life Christ offers. Not abundance of possessions, but abundance of peace, joy, and purpose. It starts with choosing who you'll serve, choosing how you'll think, and choosing gratitude and joy as your response to life.
Today, right now, you can make that choice. The altitude of your attitude is entirely up to you.
Life has a peculiar way of coming at us, doesn't it? Some mornings we wake up feeling unstoppable, ready to conquer whatever the day brings. Other mornings, we wake up feeling off—and suddenly everything that follows seems to go sideways. The coffee spills, traffic is unbearable, work is frustrating, and by the time we get home, we're ready to pull the covers over our heads and try again tomorrow.
But here's a profound truth that can transform how we experience our days: while we cannot always control what happens to us, we absolutely can control how we respond to it.
The Power of Decisive Living
In Joshua 24:14-15, we find a challenge that echoes through the ages: "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve." This isn't a suggestion—it's an invitation to decisive living. Joshua understood something crucial about human nature: indecisiveness is often our greatest hindrance. When we waffle between commitments, when we keep one foot in faith and one foot in the world, we set ourselves up for instability.
The Old Testament is filled with examples of people who couldn't make up their minds. One generation would serve God faithfully, the next would chase after other gods, and then another would swing back again. This spiritual whiplash left them exhausted and unfulfilled.
The same pattern plays out in modern life. We live in a culture saturated with options—different religions, philosophies, ideologies, and countless things competing for our devotion. Beyond formal religions, we have other idols: career success, financial security, social media validation, entertainment, or comfort. The question remains the same: what will we decisively choose to build our lives around?
Making a clear decision about who we serve fundamentally determines how we live. It sets our direction, influences our choices, and shapes our character.
Transforming Your Mind, Transforming Your Life
Romans 12:1-2 offers us a roadmap: "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." This isn't about positive thinking or self-help mantras. It's about something far more powerful—choosing our mindset over our circumstances.
We are not meant to be merely reactive creatures, blown about by whatever wind happens to be blowing that day. We have the capacity for intentionality. We can decide in advance how we will approach our day, regardless of what it brings.
Philippians 4:8-9 gives us practical guidance on this transformation: "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
This is the secret to maintaining joy in difficult seasons. When the storms rage, when the diagnosis comes, when the job is lost, when relationships fracture—we still have control over what we allow to occupy our thoughts. We can choose to dwell on what's praiseworthy rather than what's painful.
Visit a cancer ward sometime, and you'll witness this principle in action. You'll find people facing terminal diagnoses who somehow radiate joy and peace. How is this possible? They've made a conscious choice about what to focus on. They've decided not to waste their remaining time being miserable, but instead to celebrate what remains.
Here's the sobering reality check: we are all terminal. From the moment we're born, we're moving toward death. The only difference between someone with a diagnosis and the rest of us is that they know their timeline is shorter. But all of us face the same question: will we choose to live joyfully, or will we waste our days in misery and complaint?
Choosing Joy and Gratitude as a Response
First Thessalonians 5:16-18 gives us three powerful commands: "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances."
Notice what these verses don't say. They don't say "rejoice when everything is going well" or "give thanks when life is easy." They say always. In all circumstances. This means when the tornado is ripping through your life, when thunder and lightning are crashing all around, when chaos reigns—rejoice then too.
This isn't denial or toxic positivity. It's a deliberate choice to recognize that even in the darkest valleys, there are things worthy of gratitude. There is always something praiseworthy in our lives, even when we have to look hard to find it.
Praying continually isn't about only calling on God when we're desperate. It's about maintaining constant communion with Him, in good times and bad. It's relational, not transactional.
Biblical Examples of Choosing Well
The Bible gives us powerful examples of people who chose their attitude in the midst of terrible circumstances.
Joseph, after being sold into slavery by his brothers, falsely accused, and imprisoned, eventually rose to power in Egypt. When he finally faced his brothers again, he could have chosen bitterness and revenge. Instead, he said, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (Genesis 50:20). He chose to see God's purpose in his pain.
Job, who lost everything—his children, his wealth, his health—refused to curse God. Instead, he declared, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised" (Job 1:21). This was a conscious choice to honor God even when he couldn't understand why such suffering had come.
Paul and Silas, beaten and imprisoned, chose to pray and sing hymns at midnight (Acts 16:25). The other prisoners listened in amazement because this response was so unusual, so countercultural. Nobody does this—except those who have discovered the secret of choosing joy regardless of circumstances.
Life to the Full
When Jesus promised to give us "life to the full," He wasn't promising material prosperity or a trouble-free existence. In fact, He warned us that in this world we would have trouble. What He was offering was something far more valuable—the ability to experience deep, abiding joy regardless of our external circumstances.
Life will always be a roller coaster of ups and downs, hills and valleys. But we can choose to maintain a level emotional and spiritual ground even while riding those ups and downs. We cannot change the unpredictability of life, but our attitude is not unpredictable—it's a choice.
Soaring High
Think of your attitude like altitude. Are you digging in the dirt, getting caught in the treetops, or soaring high above? The choice is yours.
God doesn't want you struggling in the mud. He wants you soaring, experiencing the fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—no matter what's happening around you.
This is the abundant life Christ offers. Not abundance of possessions, but abundance of peace, joy, and purpose. It starts with choosing who you'll serve, choosing how you'll think, and choosing gratitude and joy as your response to life.
Today, right now, you can make that choice. The altitude of your attitude is entirely up to you.
Posted in hope, Practical Faith
Posted in #practicalfaith, #bibleteaching, #hope, #pastorstevenlarrabee, #lacrossecommunityCOTN
Posted in #practicalfaith, #bibleteaching, #hope, #pastorstevenlarrabee, #lacrossecommunityCOTN
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