How your attitude can affect everything

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. - Philippians 4:8

Norman Cousins, a prominent writer of the 20^th century, was diagnosed with a rare, crippling, and incurable disease. Tired of being in the hospital for so long and with little real hope for recovery, he checked himself out and went home.

There, he began his own treatment to comfort the pain. He borrowed a movie projector and watched old Marx Brothers films and Candid Camera reruns. He soon found that after 10 minutes of good laughter, he could sleep peacefully for two hours. When the pain returned, he would simply flick the projector back on and he’d have another two hours of painless sleep.

Attitude matters. When you’re fighting tough battles in life and it’s hard to see a way forward, the attitude you have during the struggle will most certainly determine how it affects you. This isn’t just emotional. Your attitude can affect you both mentally and physically.

Whether it’s sickness, hard emotional times, or grief, find reasons to laugh. Instead of withdrawing, do something you enjoy and spend time with others who can bring you up. Be positive no matter what challenge you’re facing and you’ll be renewed both mentally and physically!

Prayer Challenge

Pray and ask God to help you face the challenges you encounter with a healthy attitude.

Questions for Thought

Why do you think it’s so easy to fall into a cycle of negative thinking in hard times?

What’s one thing you love doing? It is possible that spending time doing that when you’re facing challenges would help you physically and mentally?