Start This New Year Thinking About This

What You Think Is What You Are

Common Sense Commentary: One of the most difficult things to do accurately in the human experience is to think of one's self objectively in absolute unbiased honesty. We are too close to ourselves to be objective. Subjective self criticism makes us much better than we are or much worse, but seldom objectively true and balanced. But there is an accurate means of understanding the truth of who we really are.

The real you is not what you say you are ... or even what you sometimes do.
The real you is not what you wear, where you live, or what you appear to be.
The real you is not your reputation or what other people think you surely are.
The real you is not what you think you are ... But what you think about most...
That, my friend, is what you are.

Henry Ford  thought he could... and then did what he thought, and commented ...“Think you can, think you can't; either way you'll be right.

Wise King Solomon, moved by the Spirit of God, made the experienced observation that ... As a man "...thinketh in his heart, so is he." Prov.23:7.

A famous writer was in his study. He picked up his pen and began writing:

"Last year, my gallbladder was removed. I was stuck in bed due to this surgery for a long time. The same year I reached the age of 60 and had to give up my favorite job. I had spent 30 years of my life with this publishing company. The same year I experienced the death of my father. In the same year my son failed in his medical exam because he had a car accident.He had to stay in the hospital with a cast on his leg for several days. And, the destruction of the car was a second loss." His concluding statement: "Alas! It was such a bad year!!"

When the writer's wife entered the room, she found her husband looking dejected, sad and lost in his thoughts. She carefully and surreptitiously read what he had written, and silently left the room and came back shortly with another piece of paper on which she had written her summary of the year's events and placed it beside her husband's paper. When her husband saw that she had written something in response to his account of the year's events, he read: 

"Last year I finally got rid of my gallbladder which had given me many years of pain. I turned 60 with sound health and retired from my job. Now I can utilize my time to write better and with more focus and peace. The same year my father, at the age of 95 without depending on anyone and without any critical conditions, met his Creator. The same year, God blessed my son with life. "My car was destroyed, but my son was alive and without permanent disability." At the end she wrote: "This year was an immense blessing and it passed well!!"

MORAL: In our daily lives we must see that it's not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy. There is always, always, always something to be thankful for. Attitude may not be everything but it, to a great extent ... reveals what we are. And attitude is the one thing that we always, in every circumstance, have control over.

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Phil.4:8.