September 25th
Transformed
Somedays it seems like many things just don't go the way I planned? Are you with me? Can you identify? Yep - 'tis true, like one said, "Doesn't pay to get out of bed." Well, that is stretching it - but what I really want to do is motivate you to stretch your attitude toward those cicumstances.
Perhaps one of the best ways is to relate the story of a carpenter who was hired to work on an old farm house. He had just finished the first day. A flat tire made him lose one hour of work. His electric saw broke. His old truck refused to start.
He got a ride home with a friend and was in stony silence all the way. The one driving him noticed that as he got out of his truck, before his friend walked up the front steps he paused at a tree growing beside the sidewalk. It looked like his friend reached up and touched the top of the small tree with both hands.
When the carpenter entered the house he was "transformed" he was smiling, loving - hugged his childrern and gave his wife a kiss.
WHAT HAPPENED?? Let me tell you. (And what I am about to tell you can change your attitude toward a negative situation you might be going through right now.) The tree in his front yard was called "his trouble tree."
That's right! He knew he couldn't have troubles on the job. He knew troubles did not belong in his house. So, he hung his troubles on the tree every night when he entered his house and in the morning he would pick them up again. Funny thing was when he came out in the morning to collect them there weren't nearly as many as he remembered hanging up the night before.
Oh, me and my "troubles". Well, to them all, David says (Psalm 54:7)
"He has delivered me out of all trouble."I suppose that our attitude should reflect the mind of the Lord - like - let this mind of the Lord be in you.
My prayer for you!
Lord I ask that this one be on top of their troubles (by giving them to you - placing them on your tree) and not be weighed down by them, in the name of Jesus.
Amen