Heart Change

“I can’t change the situation but God can change my heart.” –C.Ponder

Sometimes I come across areas in my life that I insist need to be disposed of. I can’t bear the thought of making it through another day with the vexation of situations beyond my control. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people whine about the day they’ve had and how bad they have it. However, upon offering up a solution to his or her dilemma, it is shot down in angst. “That won’t work because of…” “He’ll say this…” “I’ll lose…” And even, “Well, who asked you?” are the responses I receive. I guess it’s never really about a solution so much as a need to vent when times get tough. I must say I’m guilty of the same actions.

There are times that I look back upon and see that what I’ve overcome was never really that big a deal. However, in the situation, it was a horrible ordeal. I can remember times when I thought I didn’t have it in me to make it through another day. I wanted to call it quits. However, certain perseverance kept me going and my attitude ended being the most useful tool in the whole ordeal. I realized that in the times that I remained faithful to God’s promises and believed that He had nothing but the best for me in store that I excelled. On the flipside, when I allowed my feelings and own will get in the way, I failed miserably. It wasn’t until I gave everything over to Him that I saw a change in my attitude and the course of the ordeal. This is probably what Ponder means in her “heart change” remark.

Character is a defining mark in the success of an individual’s accomplishments. We may posses the skills needed to perform a task or perform in a task. However, it is one’s character that will determine the ultimate result. Think about it. We have minimal, if any, power to control what another says or does. We can control our own actions and how we respond to others that come our way. This is also true of situations. We certainly cannot control time, nature, or God’s will. Yet, we can respond in ways the best suit the situation at hand by the way we react. If we allow God total access to everything we have and are then we can rest assured that our attitudes and hearts will benefit from whatever life throws at us.

From the heart comes mercy, forgiveness, faith, thoughtfulness, love. If we took into our situations the heart, our attitudes would be changed dramatically. We’d no longer see ourselves as the sole recipient of whatever impending doom is to come of a situation in which we’ve no control. We’d recognize that, yes, conditions are less than desirable at the moment, however, we cannot control them and we must not become inundated with negative feelings. Believe in your Creator; believe that something good will come of it. And even if it doesn’t that God’s ways are just.

When we begin to view situations from perspectives other than our own that is when God’s will becomes most apparent. If we’re constantly making situations about ourselves then we will never understand the divine relationship that we share with the Father. The fact remains that we can’t control everything. The fact remains that we can control ourselves. Let your attitude reflect the most desirable of all conditions it is then that your situation will become less penetrating. When I worked at a retail chain I used to recite this little passage when I felt my heart pressed upon:
Work peacefully and diligently knowing that right thoughts and right actions will inevitably bring about the right results.

Your heart is all you can offer in the situations you cannot change.