His Footprints, My Heart...

Alright, so when God really wants me to learn something, He seems to come at me from all angles. You know, when everything you hear on the radio, see on TV, or read seems to point you right back to what He's trying to teach you. Well, we're revisiting the "worry" topic. There's a phrase from one of my favorite songs that says "time to let it go and just believe." I think - no, I know - that that's what God wants me to do, just trust. A non-Christian girl that I work with sent this story to me this morning. Isn't it awesome how God speaks to us? We can get to "high and mighty" as Christians sometimes that we forget that the only difference between a Christian and a non-Christian is that Christians have accepted the saving grace of Jesus Christ, but that's for a post down the road.

The story...

John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood
and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him
how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be
twins!"

He was a natural motivator.

If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the
employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and
asked him, "I don't get it!

You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"

He replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two
choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or ... you can
choose to be in a bad mood.

I choose to be in a good mood."

Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or...I
can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.

Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept
their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life. I
choose the positive side of life.

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.

"Yes, it is," he said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away
all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to
situations. You choose how people affect your mood.

You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's
your choice how you live your life."

I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry
to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him
when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious
accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower.

After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released
from the hospital with rods placed in his back.

I saw him about six months after the accident.

When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be
twins Wanna see my scars?"

I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through
his mind as the accident took place.

"The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my
soon-to-be born daughter," he replied. "Then, as I lay on the ground,
I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or...I
could choose to die. I chose to live."

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.

He continued, "..the paramedics were great.

They kept telling me I was going to be fine.But when they wheeled me
into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and
nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'.
I knew I needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said
John. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes, I replied.' The
doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took
a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity'."

Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on
me as if I am alive, not dead."

He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his
amazing attitude... I learned from him that every day we have the
choice to live fully.

Attitude, after all, is everything.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about
itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34.

After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

So, today is the tomorrow I worried about yesterday and this week is the week I worried about last week. Worry is fear, and fear is not trusting God. Not that I'll never worry again, because I've done this whole "roller-coaster" of worry-learn to trust-worry-learn to trust before, but hopefully I spend less time in the "worry" valley than I do on the "learn to trust" hilltop each time.

Barbara, maybe that's the secret we're looking for?

Posted by Cindy-Lou at 4:47 AM

At 5:07 PM,  Nettie said...

That's an awesome story. Some times are easier than others to remember to choose to be positive, but it is a choice. And any reduction in worry would be a good thing!

 

At 8:35 PM,  Anonymous said...

That was inspiring, I would love to hang out with that guy, or at least his twin. ;)

A lady at my church is like that, she is in a wheelchair, he situation happened similar to this guy. She's not upset about it at all. I say, "It must be hard to get around."

"Not really," she says, "the chair is great." I can't believe her attitude, it's wonderful!

 

At 12:47 PM,  Cindy-Lou said...

Nettie,
So true! Every time we worry a little bit less means we're trusing Him more!

Maurice,
Thanks! Send them on! I don't mind at all... I always believe that we "go through things" to help someone else along the way :)

Paula,
Thanks, Sis. Those are kind words, I wish I lived up to them :) If you think I have a sweet spirit it's because you see Jesus' spirit in me :)

Barbara,
You are such an encouragement to me! "I thank God upon every remembrance of you". I get migraines too, haven't had one in a while (knock on wood)... they're no fun, I know!

Darlene,
Aren't people like that amazing? Such an inspiration! That's how my mom was. When people mentioned how difficult it must be to have cancer she would just say, "No, it's just a little set-back", and she meant that! And to think I can let a bad hair day throw me off :) "There is strength in the name of the Lord...."

 

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