Choice Is Sweet Control
I caught the tail end of a sermon about attitude given by a TV evangelist. The message was clear and right on time. While we cannot control the things that happen to us and around us, we do have control over how we respond to those things. Attitude is a choice. Having a positive attitude ironically is often harder than having a bad attitude. Regardless of the difficulty, we make a choice.
- We choose to feel offended
- We choose to feel alone.
- We choose to be angry.
- We choose to be joyless
However, in the same way we choose these powerfully negative things, we can also choose their positive counterparts. We can ignore offensive behavior, find joy in our solitary times, find humor in troubling times, and seek joy in everything. It’s not easy, and sometimes we must remove ourselves from situations that compel us to feel anger or resentment in order to grow. And that’s fine.
As is often said, misery loves company, and we have full knowledge of our own miserable behavior and that of certain folks around us. Misery will surround you and seep into the very fabric of your life. I’ve often caught myself going down a never-ending rabbit hole of resentment and anger. Then I stop. I take a breath. I ask myself why am I here; why am I giving even more power to a situation that will eventually and inevitably resolve itself.
After trial and error I now know this is greater challenge for me than it might be for others. While I can remain calm in some of the most trying circumstances, other circumstances set me off like a match to a powder keg. The emotional baggage I claim from childhood lingers. As such, I can become retaliatory at the drop of a dime. I cannot test myself while in the fiery pit. I have to employ more subtle tests. I must remove certain attitudinal temptations from life until I am stronger. For me it’s not as simple as saying, I must try to be a better person.
I have to be a better person, first without the things that set me off, and later, in the presence of the things that set me off.
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