While taking a flight in a small plane in Washington state, marriage counselors Les and Leslie Parrot were given some interesting information from their pilot:
“We crossed over the islands of Puget Sound and approached the lights of a local airport.
“The most important thing about landing is the attitude of the plane,” said the pilot.
“You mean altitude, don’t you?” I asked.
“No,” the pilot explained.
“The attitude has to do with the nose of the plane.
“If the attitude is too high, the plane will come down with a severe bounce.
“And if the attitude is too low, the plane may go out of control because of excessive landing speed.”
Then the pilot said something that got our attention:
“The trick is to get the right attitude in spite of atmospheric conditions.”
Without knowing it, our pilot had given us a perfect metaphor for creating a happy marriage - the trick is to develop the right attitude in spite of the circumstances we find ourselves in.
This story was taken from Les & Leslie Parrott’s book, “Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts.”
In the midst of a difficult time the Apostle Paul wrote the book of Philippians.
He talked about how we are to “adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).
Yet, in his situation, he was in prison for preaching the gospel.
He is a testimony that our attitude is not determined by our situation, it is determined by our response.
Paul also tells the church in Philippi, “For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13).
What a great reminder for us.
God is the one who is completing the work.
We are to rely on Him and His ability.
God’s joy is what sustains us.
I challenge you to read Philippians Chapter 2 this week.
Look it over and study what it means to have a good attitude.
Our life is to be lived as Jesus.
When we face winds in this life, we must turn our plane to the right direction.
We must keep our mind on things that are positive.
