A Change of Direction Results in a Change of Attitude

by Norm B.

The plane was 3 hours into its international flight when the pilot came on the intercom with the following announcement: “Ladies and gentlemen, don’t be alarmed, but I have some bad news as well as some good news for you. The bad news is that our navigational equipment is malfunctioning and we have no way of knowing where we are. The good news is that we have a strong tail wind and we are making excellent time.�?

Determined to be the best

I am the second youngest in my family and was constantly in competition with my older brothers. Sports were an important part of our family life and I was determined to be the best. All my spare time was spent playing or practicing.

I was determined at an early age to not spend my life in poverty. I had three basic goals I thought would give me success in the future: to be the best athlete in my family, to be the richest in my family, and to have the prettiest wife in the family. I realized that to accomplish my goals I would need to get an education.

As a youth I poured all my energy into attaining the first goal. I thought that by achieving a high level of competence I would gain respect and people would like me. Instead I became obsessed and obnoxious and drove people away. Consequently I was very lonely. My selfish attitude would quickly undermine any progress I had made towards making my life better. Increasingly I became more isolated and lonely.

An unconditional love

I had attended church and Sunday school all my life but as I grew older, I attended out of habit and not for spiritual lessons. One evening I was captured by the speaker’s attitude and enthusiasm for what he had to share. He quoted a verse from the Bible that I had memorized in Sunday school: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.�? (John 3:16)

He said that God loved each person unconditionally. He said that God didn’t love us for what we had done. I wanted to be loved. I listened with great interest as he talked about how I could experience God’s love in our everyday life. Night after night I went back to hear more.

A new relationship

One night I shook hands with the speaker. As I took his hand he looked me in the eyes and asked if I had ever begun a personal relationship with God. I quickly mumbled that I had, though it was a lie, and headed for the dark outdoors.

I liked what he had to say and secretly wished I had a relationship with God. As I went home that evening and thought about what I had heard, I desperately wanted to experience that kind of love, but my pride and personal reputation stood in the way.

I couldn’t sleep. I got up and looked out my window and began talking to God. I said, “God if what this man has been saying all week is true, then I invite you to come into my life and make me into the kind of person you want me to be. I have tried so many times to change myself and failed.�?

A new attitude

Something happened that night. I felt a satisfying peace come over me that I had not experienced before. I felt clean inside and out. I awoke the next morning with excitement and anticipation.

I began to see other people not as competition but as team players. I was able to encourage others and begin building friendships. I was still motivated to succeed, but not at the expense of others. I began to channel my drive into positive influences rather than using people for my own advancement.

I am not perfect and I still make mistakes but now I am aware of an attitude or action that is hurtful to others. I ask God to help me deal with my attitudes and He never lets me down!

Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times. There are things we dream of doing one day, there are things we wish we could forget. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?

Living with hope

If you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.

Is this the life for you?

If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest.

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John Collins
My Story