Many of you might be familiar with Judith Viorst’s book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. It’s the story of a little boy whose day falls to pieces.
“I went to sleep with gum in my mouth and now there’s gum in my hair and when I got out of bed this morning I tripped on the skateboard...and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.” (Viorst, p.5).
Alexander’s day just gets worse as he goes to school, finds himself at the dentist, and has to go shopping with his mother. No one looks forward to a day filled with obstacles, trials, and setbacks, but I wonder how often we approach a day in the same way as Alexander. How often do we start the day with a flat tire even before we get into our car? How often do we set our course with a bad attitude and then act surprised when our day falls apart? Even as I write this I am wondering if I should change my line of questioning. Let me ask, how often do you have a great day? What would a great day look like to you? Would you say that it is the norm to have a great day, or the exception?
To me it all boils down to choice. I have to make a choice about my day before it begins. What will you choose? There is no doubt that our days will be filled with events beyond our control. So how are you going to allow those events shape you? Truly, the only area in our lives we can control is our choice in how we react or respond to what happens.
John Maxwell, says this about choices/decisions, “Successful people make right decisions early and manage those decisions daily.” I believe he is saying that the sooner you decide the important decisions and the longer you manage them, the more successful you can become. Persons who neglect making decisions and fail to manage them will often look back on their lives with sadness and regret.
I would encourage you to begin each day with a word of thanksgiving to God. Begin your day with Him and allow Him to change your outlook and attitude about what is to come (Phil. 4:4-9).
May God’s peace reign in your heart and mind. Thanks for reading.
2 comments:
Hey Gary,
Because "Paying Attention" has been such a theme for me. I still struggle with this painful thorn. I usually try to pray for God to show me the people I need to see each day. I agree with you we have choices, our free will determines that we have "choice". Unfortunately, some (at times myself included) believe that we have no choice. Have you read Viktor Frankl's book "Man's Search for Meaning"?
Your Bro
Yes, Frankl's book is a good read! Ruby Payne's book, "A Framework fo r Understanding Poverty" is also helpful. I wonder if it was Frankl's background (Jewish) that helped him form his assumptions. Payne comes to conclusions based on what she observed and without a divine intervention it is easy to see how people become trapped.
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