Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
“Have you ever taken a moment to observe another person? Watching people as we sit by, sipping our coffee can not only give us a unique insight into human behaviour, but also show us how important our own attitudes and thoughts are. The attitude we have as we go through life speaks volumes about what’s inside. Our attitude determines our progress.
Our thoughts are important and it all takes a turn for the better when we choose to put on an ‘attitude of gratitude’. Praise and thanksgiving to the Lord should be a way of lifestyle for the Christian believer. It means continuing in an attitude of gratitude toward God every day, and is a master key to seeing the fullness of God manifested in our lives in every circumstance…
Worry and anxiety stem from relying on our own ability to get through the challenges that life throws at us. It’s easy to fall back to being self-centered especially when our lives are fast paced and it takes everything you can do to meet the next deadline. Self-reliance traps us into putting an immense amount of undue pressure on ourselves. Worry is an absolute waste of time and keeps us rooted to the spot. It doesn’t move things forward. All it does is steal our joy and keeps us very busy doing nothing.”
Joanna Marcus in “An Attitude of Gratitude” Christian Manager: The Management Magazine for Today’s Christian Leaders (Chennai: Christian Institute of Management, June-July 2017) 18-19.
As you can imagine with four meetings in four major cities in four days in India, I am doing my share of travel late at night or early in the morning. Everything is foreign to me, such as streets with cows on them. While the meetings have far exceeded my expectations and the Spirit of God is powerfully at work stirring an awaking in accountability to pave the way for greater generosity in India, the physical and mental strain of this trip is testing my limits.
What about you? Are your circumstances testing you? Do they seek to limit or hinder your generosity?
Our flesh tempts us to respond to such situations by either retreating to comfort in order to avoid difficulty or to run to worry, which just exacerbates the problem. I suppose there are other responses we could have but those two come into view as two significant fleshly patterns that wage war against the generous life. For example, my flight from Chennai was three hours late today. That meant my ride in Mumbai was no where to be found.
It was 110°F outside and humid, and I had no phone service. But I did have a line that has no international roaming charges: prayer!
So, in response, I did not think What am I doing here? and retreat from the challenge, but the temptation to worry did cross my mind. That’s not accurate. It flooded my mind. Having just read this article in the CIM magazine, I chose instead to give thanks. I paused to breathe and express gratitude to God for things like my safe flight and that my bag came off the carousel. I promptly located a cab and got to my hotel in no time.
What does this have to do with generosity?
Don’t let circumstances cause you to flinch. Stay focused. You are not alone. Empty yourself generously for Jesus Christ with an attitude of gratitude for anything that comes your way. Don’t worry about what might happen if you give richly and put yourself out there. Things will undoubtedly not go as you expect. Check your attitude. Gratitude is the “master key” that opens our eyes to see “the fullness of God manifested in our lives in every circumstance.”
And if you find yourself stuck, cry out to God. I am confident that you too will be filled with the peace of Christ. It’s the only thing you need to help you navigate the world outside your comfort zone! I say this because the generous life is only lived outside the comfort zone. Thank you God that you are always with us on every square inch of this planet, and that in every situation, we can present our requests to you and experience a generous supply of peace!