Attitude – A window into the soul

Recently I saw a movie that contained the following line “I want to get a face lift to improve my looks, you know… the face is the window into the soul!” I remember laughing at the line, feeling that if that were true…. then I had a rather wrinkled, leathery soul. It is true however that smiling faces are always more inviting and soothing to the spirit than frowns, snarls or the variety of displeased facial contortions of a downcast spirit.

It is truly amazing how contagious moods can be. Up beat people are a joy to be near, depressed people are a joy to be far from. Maintaining a positive attitude is important in your effect on those you encounter on a daily basis. Some of these people may not know Christ and you may be a key player in their exposure to Him.
Unemployment figures due out Friday are expected to show that the U.S. lost a net total of 500,000 jobs in December. If accurate, that would bring 2008's total job losses to 2.4 million, the first annual job loss since 2001 and the highest since 1945, though the number of jobs has more than tripled since then. If that news does not depress you, have a look at your 401K balances. I am reminded of a passage from Charles Swindoll’s book “Strengthening Your Grip” on the importance of a proper attitude:

Words can never adequately convey the incredible impact of our attitude toward life. The longer I live the more convinced I become that life is 10 percent what happens and 90 percent how we respond to it. I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me, my circumstances or my position. Attitude keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right there’s no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me.

What a great attitude about attitudes!
Also there is Paul’s Letter to the Church in Philippi to consider (Philippians 4: 6-9):
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you

While our firm has managed to retain all of our employees during this economic downturn, we have gone to reduced work hours, which has forced us all to “tighten up our belts” by 20%. Such financial changes challenge our faith. I hope and pray that as people of faith, we repond to such challenges as God would have us. I remain His. I remain All In!