Personal development pioneer Paul J. Meyer passed away recently. He lived an amazing life and powerfully impacted many with his contagious enthusiasm and zest for life. Paul’s mantra was “Attitude is everything”, and I was reminded this week how true this is for we who seek to model our life after Jesus Christ.
It’s so easy to become distracted by the problems and concerns of our daily lives. We feel battered and stressed out from the difficult times that come into our lives. When we allow ourselves to get caught up in our problems, we take our eyes off of Jesus and put them on our self. When our eyes are on ourselves, we no longer are able to love those around us. One of the primary goals of Satan is to see that we become self –absorbed. Once he achieves that result, we are rendered essentially useless.
That’s why attitude is everything. We have eternal hope in Jesus Christ; we have more reason to celebrate than anyone. We must always remain focused on the glory of Christ and the mission He has enlisted us to carry out. Jesus is the creator of all things, and He created all things in extraordinary fashion. We are therefore, by default, extraordinary. Living a self-centered ordinary life is to reject all that we are and all we have been created to be. Extraordinary people do not live a life of mediocrity; they do not live a life devoted to their own needs. Extraordinary people live lives larger than themselves, lives dedicated to a higher purpose.
One more time, attitude is everything. As followers of Christ, we have the highest hope and we must never allow that hope to be diminished. We know how this story ends. We also know that there are many in this world without that same hope. It is our mission as Kingdom people to demonstrate the love of Christ by sharing that hope with them. When we get down, we are being ordinary. God did not create ordinary. God created extraordinary and we grieve Him whenever we neglect that which He created us to be.
The next time life begins to get the best of you, change your attitude. The next time you become discouraged or feel alone, reflect on who God created you to be. Reach inside and find that person because it exists in every one of us. We are extraordinary when we choose an attitude of love and devotion to Jesus Christ. Be extraordinary. Attitude is everything.