New Year - New Resolutions - New Perspective
a note - just returned from a family reunion - I apologize for any delays in posting new articles - my trip was unexpectedly lengthened by circumstances beyond my control - the airlines
Making up for it with ONE LONG POST to start the New Year!
For many, the ‘New Year’ brings with it Resolutions. Whether it is a new diet, a promise to exercise, a new goal, or a repeat of last year’s resolution, we ‘use’ the ringing in of the New Year as a marker to milestone a change. If statistics are any real indicator of things, most of our resolutions will fall by the wayside rather quickly. Consider one’s own past. How many resolutions actually got accomplished?
How about a resolution we can LIVE with?
Consider this: Stress Kills.
Stress causes a number of health risks, from high blood pressure to depression to alcoholism. Stress contributes to the exacerbation of just about every medical problem one has, from increasing the severity of the flu to actual medical conditions themselves like ulcers.
What is stress anyway? One popular t-shirt (edited) defines stress as “the mind over-riding the body’s desire to choke someone that richly deserves it”. Webster’s online dictionary defines it as, “a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation”. Stress is always accompanied by its by-product, worry (“to feel or experience concern or anxiety”).
I would like to offer this definition: the mental and emotional tension created when one tries to exert control over a person, event or circumstance over which one has NO control.
This year’s resolution suggestion (a little late) is REDUCE STRESS.
Instead of spending money on ‘relaxation therapy’, enlightenment, or stress reduction seminars - consider a ‘low-cost’, ‘life altering’ alternative.
A Christmas present this year was this framed quote, received from a friend:
Attitude
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think, say, or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church or a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past, and we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is ten percent what happens to me and ninety percent, how I react to it. And so it is with you - we are all in charge of our attitudes.
A psychologist acquaintance is quick to remind that one’s reaction and attitude ‘defines’ reality. If one is upset with circumstances, the circumstances will be upsetting. (Sounds like stress to me.) Now that sounds like a little bit of psycho-babble. Is it really psycho-babble? Consider the concept that we really do not control anything except our own reactions. Remember ‘my’ definition of stress - attempting to control the uncontrollable.
What does the Bible say? Matthew 6:25-33 (the “Worry Passage”) tells us that we can not change anything by worrying about it. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us not only to quit worrying about the ‘circumstances’ of our lives, but also give them to God.
There is a bumper sticker, “We plan, God laughs”.
Luke 12:16-20 is a parable about a man planning what he will do with the things in this world, without planning for eternity. While it is a responsibility to be ‘good stewards’ of the things given to us in this world - they are still given to us - we have no ‘control’.
Therefore, the challenge is to change our attitudes, this changes our reactions.
Consider Jesus, His attitude and reactions are summed up in two places. Luke 2:49 tells us His over-riding attitude, “And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”” Second is His prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane recorded in Matthew 26:36-46, Mark 14:32-42, & Luke 22:39-46. Jesus was ALL about doing His Father’s will.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 tells us there is a season for everything. In other words, things are going to happen according to God’s timetable. Verse 11 tells us, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.”
James 4:13 - 15 says, “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.””
Our purpose is to fulfill the work of God - and our attitudes and reactions should reflect this.
How do we ‘make’ this happen?
Any psychiatrist, psychologist, behaviorist (or parent) will tell us the ‘key’ to changing behavior (reactions) is changing attitudes…
There are four verses that really sum up how we change our attitudes and reactions to reflect the ‘ideal’ that we must be about “Our Father’s Business”.
Two are lifestyle verses (and two of my favorites).
John 2:5, Mary the mother of Jesus is speaking, “His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He [Jesus] says to you, do it.”
In 1 Corinthians 10:31, Paul sums up our entire attitude and lifestyle, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
That is great - whatever Jesus tells me to do, do it - and do everything to the Glory of God. It is easier to say than do. How does one accomplish that change in attitude to reflect that desire to obey those two verses?
There has been much made of the “What Would Jesus Do?” ‘movement’. It has been an attempt targeted mainly at teens and young adults to make wise choices. The question is, how does one know what Jesus would do? The only way to KNOW what Jesus would do is to KNOW what Jesus DID!
James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
And the ‘big one’: Romans 12: 2; “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Spending time reading God’s word (the Bible), transforms our minds. In other words, a change in attitude happens by choice. A wise choice (What DID Jesus do) is made by spending time in the Word. The change in attitude changes our behavior.
Nothing happens that God does not will. Therefore, everything we do IS a reaction to God and HIS Will - not the circumstances or people around us. Repeating that - EVERYTHING WE DO IS A REACTION TO GOD! Going back to my psychologist acquaintance, if one determines to react positively to circumstances, then the situation will be positive. More importantly, reacting to every circumstance as a reaction to God's working and timetable - changes EVERYTHING.
I started this article with an apology that my trip home was lengthened by airline schedules. That could have been a frustrating, angering and upsetting situation. If I became upset at missed and rescheduled flights and lost luggage, it would have been an ugly three days. On the other hand, looking at it from a ‘react to God’ perspective - it was an interesting adventure that led to meeting some new people and seeing some new cities as well as getting the opportunity to travel unencumbered by waiting for baggage and tipping baggage handlers…
That long line in the grocery store goes from an interminable wait with better things to do, to an opportunity to minister to others.
That ‘crazy idiot’ that cuts in front dangerously on the highway becomes an opportunity for thanksgiving (that there was not an accident) and a prayer for another’s safety.
That accident that wrecks the car, the stove that breaks, the water heater that goes out - all become opportunities to see “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19.
A change in attitude is a change in behavior that ‘proves’ the truth of Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” The following verse, Romans 8:29 tells why ‘bad’ things happen to good people, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” That is so that we might be like Christ. In order to be ‘like Christ’ (Christian means ‘little Christ’) we have to ‘adopt’ Christ’s attitude. Adopting that attitude changes our behavior.
So my challenge, and my challenge to you - change attitudes by renewing the mind, and that changes behavior so that ALL things are good things. (Want to talk about a BIG way to reduce STRESS - this is it!) The best way to reduce stress and get the most out of life is to adopt Jesus’ attitude, “I must be about my Father’s business”.
Making up for it with ONE LONG POST to start the New Year!
For many, the ‘New Year’ brings with it Resolutions. Whether it is a new diet, a promise to exercise, a new goal, or a repeat of last year’s resolution, we ‘use’ the ringing in of the New Year as a marker to milestone a change. If statistics are any real indicator of things, most of our resolutions will fall by the wayside rather quickly. Consider one’s own past. How many resolutions actually got accomplished?
How about a resolution we can LIVE with?
Consider this: Stress Kills.
Stress causes a number of health risks, from high blood pressure to depression to alcoholism. Stress contributes to the exacerbation of just about every medical problem one has, from increasing the severity of the flu to actual medical conditions themselves like ulcers.
What is stress anyway? One popular t-shirt (edited) defines stress as “the mind over-riding the body’s desire to choke someone that richly deserves it”. Webster’s online dictionary defines it as, “a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation”. Stress is always accompanied by its by-product, worry (“to feel or experience concern or anxiety”).
I would like to offer this definition: the mental and emotional tension created when one tries to exert control over a person, event or circumstance over which one has NO control.
This year’s resolution suggestion (a little late) is REDUCE STRESS.
Instead of spending money on ‘relaxation therapy’, enlightenment, or stress reduction seminars - consider a ‘low-cost’, ‘life altering’ alternative.
A Christmas present this year was this framed quote, received from a friend:
Attitude
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think, say, or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church or a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past, and we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is ten percent what happens to me and ninety percent, how I react to it. And so it is with you - we are all in charge of our attitudes.
A psychologist acquaintance is quick to remind that one’s reaction and attitude ‘defines’ reality. If one is upset with circumstances, the circumstances will be upsetting. (Sounds like stress to me.) Now that sounds like a little bit of psycho-babble. Is it really psycho-babble? Consider the concept that we really do not control anything except our own reactions. Remember ‘my’ definition of stress - attempting to control the uncontrollable.
What does the Bible say? Matthew 6:25-33 (the “Worry Passage”) tells us that we can not change anything by worrying about it. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us not only to quit worrying about the ‘circumstances’ of our lives, but also give them to God.
There is a bumper sticker, “We plan, God laughs”.
Luke 12:16-20 is a parable about a man planning what he will do with the things in this world, without planning for eternity. While it is a responsibility to be ‘good stewards’ of the things given to us in this world - they are still given to us - we have no ‘control’.
Therefore, the challenge is to change our attitudes, this changes our reactions.
Consider Jesus, His attitude and reactions are summed up in two places. Luke 2:49 tells us His over-riding attitude, “And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”” Second is His prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane recorded in Matthew 26:36-46, Mark 14:32-42, & Luke 22:39-46. Jesus was ALL about doing His Father’s will.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 tells us there is a season for everything. In other words, things are going to happen according to God’s timetable. Verse 11 tells us, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.”
James 4:13 - 15 says, “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.””
Our purpose is to fulfill the work of God - and our attitudes and reactions should reflect this.
How do we ‘make’ this happen?
Any psychiatrist, psychologist, behaviorist (or parent) will tell us the ‘key’ to changing behavior (reactions) is changing attitudes…
There are four verses that really sum up how we change our attitudes and reactions to reflect the ‘ideal’ that we must be about “Our Father’s Business”.
Two are lifestyle verses (and two of my favorites).
John 2:5, Mary the mother of Jesus is speaking, “His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He [Jesus] says to you, do it.”
In 1 Corinthians 10:31, Paul sums up our entire attitude and lifestyle, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
That is great - whatever Jesus tells me to do, do it - and do everything to the Glory of God. It is easier to say than do. How does one accomplish that change in attitude to reflect that desire to obey those two verses?
There has been much made of the “What Would Jesus Do?” ‘movement’. It has been an attempt targeted mainly at teens and young adults to make wise choices. The question is, how does one know what Jesus would do? The only way to KNOW what Jesus would do is to KNOW what Jesus DID!
James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
And the ‘big one’: Romans 12: 2; “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Spending time reading God’s word (the Bible), transforms our minds. In other words, a change in attitude happens by choice. A wise choice (What DID Jesus do) is made by spending time in the Word. The change in attitude changes our behavior.
Nothing happens that God does not will. Therefore, everything we do IS a reaction to God and HIS Will - not the circumstances or people around us. Repeating that - EVERYTHING WE DO IS A REACTION TO GOD! Going back to my psychologist acquaintance, if one determines to react positively to circumstances, then the situation will be positive. More importantly, reacting to every circumstance as a reaction to God's working and timetable - changes EVERYTHING.
I started this article with an apology that my trip home was lengthened by airline schedules. That could have been a frustrating, angering and upsetting situation. If I became upset at missed and rescheduled flights and lost luggage, it would have been an ugly three days. On the other hand, looking at it from a ‘react to God’ perspective - it was an interesting adventure that led to meeting some new people and seeing some new cities as well as getting the opportunity to travel unencumbered by waiting for baggage and tipping baggage handlers…
That long line in the grocery store goes from an interminable wait with better things to do, to an opportunity to minister to others.
That ‘crazy idiot’ that cuts in front dangerously on the highway becomes an opportunity for thanksgiving (that there was not an accident) and a prayer for another’s safety.
That accident that wrecks the car, the stove that breaks, the water heater that goes out - all become opportunities to see “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19.
A change in attitude is a change in behavior that ‘proves’ the truth of Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” The following verse, Romans 8:29 tells why ‘bad’ things happen to good people, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” That is so that we might be like Christ. In order to be ‘like Christ’ (Christian means ‘little Christ’) we have to ‘adopt’ Christ’s attitude. Adopting that attitude changes our behavior.
So my challenge, and my challenge to you - change attitudes by renewing the mind, and that changes behavior so that ALL things are good things. (Want to talk about a BIG way to reduce STRESS - this is it!) The best way to reduce stress and get the most out of life is to adopt Jesus’ attitude, “I must be about my Father’s business”.
posted by Unchained Slave at 10:50 AM
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