‘Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. ‘ Philippians 4:8-9
Yes, I’m repeating myself. Rather, I’m repeating the apostle Paul, but I have an illustration that may help paint an image. It did for me.
I was reading an article written by Walt Woodard, a horseman, two time PRCA world champion team roper and member of the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. Over the years, he’s evidently developed a mindset crucial to winning, not just in rodeo I imagine, but life in general. I would like to share a passage from the article that illustrates the importance of perspective.
“There are two birds that live in a valley. One is a vulture, the other a hummingbird. Each morning, they both leave the tree at the same time. The vulture looks for things that are dead and decaying. The hummingbird looks for things that are beautiful and thriving, and each bird finds precisely what he’s looking for.” ~ Walt Woodard
You have a choice, feed yourself the rot and decay around you, making yourself sick, or feed into yourself that which is beautiful, vibrant, alive and thrive.
You can change or you can stay the same, the choice is yours. It’s always yours. You can accept responsibility for that fact or not. Again, the choice is yours. Live a life you are proud of, one of hope and joy. If that means starting things all over, then start all over. Have a blessed weekend.
‘Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. ‘ 2 Corinthians 5:17
‘if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. ‘ Ephesians 4:21-24
In full pursuit of the greatest Trophy
