It's a beautiful, cool morning here in Charlotte. I love the Fall. I remember as a child reading about the Fall and seeing pictures of the beautiful leaves. Living in the jungle, it was hard to imagine what it was really like to experience seasons. Growing up in the jungle, the weather is practically the same everyday of the year ( somedays it rains, somedays it doesn't), I am learning to LOVE seasons! How can Fall not be everyone's favorite? But, like all things in life, this morning I was reminded that perspective is everything....
As I went out for my morning jogg, I felt so envigorated by the cool air engulfing me.. I definitely had an extra bounce in my step.. The breeze, the color of the leaves, the cool air.. ahh.
And then, out of a nowhere, a horrific stench took over my little world. It was everywhere! I looked all around me to see where it was coming from.. Had a run into a garbage ditch? Sure enough, it didn't take long to see that the smell was coming from a huge dump truck driving through the neighborhood. The bounce in my step was gone, and I found myself turning around, trying desperately to get away from the smell. How quickly my attitude had changed. I couldn't help but giggle. It seemed the contrast of the Fall air and the dump truck were such a real picture of life.. I had a choice.. I could continue to appreciate the crisp, cool, air ( while plugging my nose).. or, I could just let the dumptrucks wonderful smells change my whole attitude. In that moment, I remembered a patient I had seen only a few weeks earlier. She had a smile and joy about her that was contagious. . She had come to the office to get medicine for the sores all over her body, that were related to her chemotherapy. She was only 58 years old, and had been given 6 months to live. When I asked her how she kept such a good attitude, she was quick to tell me that life was all about attitude. She had chosen joy despite her circumstances. The gleam that came from her eye- was contagious. It was as if she had chosen to jogg right on through the horrific stench of the dumptruck. Nothing was going to stop her enjoying each day of life! I thought about the stench the dump truck was spreading - very rapidly- and how it reminded me of sin.. of pain, and heartache.. But, the Fall was still around me. I had a choice to make, so.. I took a deep breath, held my nose for a few seconds.. and ran through the great green mist! ha
From a healthcare perspective, there is truly a lot of evidence that a good attitude helps people combat illness more effectively. In fact, studies continually show that people who pray have better control over their blood pressure and other chronic health conditions. Scientists explain it by saying that people who pray are letting off stress and steam.
I know as a Christian, that the desire to control what happens to me will always rage war against my faith and trust in God's plan. Last night I saw a beautiful sign with the verse " Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desire of your heart." To me, that means that only by letting go of my doubt can I truly be free to enjoy life.. I want to choose trust.. I want to choose hope.. and I want to choose to keep jogging- even if does mean plowing through a great green cloud of stench!
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