Attitude

Isaiah 55:12-13
12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

This passage has everything to do with our attitude, how we look at life. Everything that happens to us in life happens for a reason. God allows things to happen in our lives to accomplish his plan in our lives and depending on our maturity in Him determines how we view the things that come into our lives. We have a position in the citizenship awaiting us in His eternal kingdom. God is growing our character in this life to become the person He wants us to be in His eternal kingdom.

When I recently read the above verse it became clear to me that our attitude can change everything. I remember reading a story long ago when I first became a Christian about a man who was a prisoner of war. He was stripped of all personal identity. He was beaten and locked into a small steel box like an animal. He was restricted to only enough food and water to keep him alive. After many days in these conditions and feeling every emotion of being treated this way he realized one day that he can choose his attitude this day. The enemy has taken everything away from him except his life. But there is one thing they can not take away and that is his ability to choose his attitude. From that moment on he chose to have a good attitude and later when he was released he knew without that attitude he probably would have died.

I remember when I was a young boy walking through the woods. There was no other sound but my own foot steps and the sound of nature. The wind in the trees, birds singing, a squirrel rustling in the leaves. I remember being very acute to the different sounds and determining what each sound was. When the almost silence was disrupted by a rushing wind coming through the trees it seemed like the trees would come alive and dance. When the squirrels would get close to each other they would get excited and chase each other and the leaves would explode with excitement. The wind would calm down and then it would seem the volume of birds would increase to what seemed too loud for birds to be able to produce. Then there were times when I would come to a clearing and sit on an old cattle salt lick. Away from the trees and less wild life I would look up in the silence and watch the clouds ease over. Big white giants suspended in the air. Large enough to crush a city but yet gentle enough to pass over un-noticed. It wouldn’t take much of this and I would think of God and just knew that He was real. Yet I didn’t come to know Him personally until I was twenty two years old.

Living in the city now and working my career I seldom get the chance to hear the wind rush through the trees or the birds singing so loudly they seemed to have loud speakers helping them. I miss those times. Now being a Christian when I think back to those days, wow, what amazing things the Lord has given us to enjoy. The sound of those trees reminds me of a football game when the crowd all does the wave around and around while hearing their cheers. Or like the Irish dancers who do the rain dance, all dancing in unison to amazing perfection.

Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Now back to our title verse: When I “go out” if I don’t have a good attitude and I am focused on my problems and circumstances I will not see the awesome wonder of our creator. In fact I can go days with out noticing the intricacy of His creation. In our selfishness our lives revolve around our own personal little world. We get wrapped up in what’s best for us. But when we keep our focus on God’s instruction:

Mark 12:30-31 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

We see the world around us completely different. We put others first before us. We go out with a heart of being a servant to others.

Recently I was in a hospital as my dad had had a heart attack and was in very pore health. I was worried for my dad and as he was having a procedure done and I was waiting for a couple of hours I gazed out the window. Whenever I’m in a hospital I tend to find a window and gaze out. As if I am waiting for the Lord to speak to my heart. This time I was starring down at the ground about 20 feet below. I was thinking and praying for my dad and his heart. A lizard caught my eye running across the ground chasing something and then he stopped abruptly. He was motionless except for his heart which was rapidly pumping and his lungs were making his body rise and fall. I thought “Amazing, this little creature has a heart and lungs and they are working just perfectly to their fullest capacity. In fact those birds over there have a heart and lungs and blood pumping through their veins and as a matter of fact every living creature that I know of has a heart beating in their chest. This is not an accident nor did it come by chance that every living creature would develop over millions of years to have a heart. God we are without excuse, You oh Lord are amazing.” Later that day my dad’s procedure was a success and he was able to go home shortly thereafter.

If we will slow down and be still, (Psalms 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God) it would give God the opportunity to speak to us. Maybe not in an audible voice but in so many other ways. Maybe we would see all of His marvelous creation come alive and dance right before our eyes. If we “go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands." What a beautiful day it could be if we choose.

Thank You Jesus!
Brad Wilson
Wilson Family Ministries