This Is Only A Test

I am old enough to remember when at any given moment, yes, even in the middle of my favorite television program (arghhh) the network would flash the test pattern screen and the annoying tone. It was only 30 or 60 seconds but it came unexpectedly and it made for a very long 30 seconds; "for crying out loud, Giligan was just about to kiss Mary Ann...". I was totally helpless to the plans of the TV station and network. It was an unwelcome interruptionan with that infernal tone; Lord help me! But I guess I could always turn the channel and pick up another show if I chose to, so all was not lost.

Unfortunately, interruptions in life seldom last only a minute or less, and they are often unwelcome and unexpected. We may not be able to see things headed our way when we become the unwilling the subjects of the "Network's" decisions; we may not be able to control that sort of thing, but we can control how we respond to life's interruptions. We must find a way to keep our attitudes in check. We are all faced with opportunities to live a blessed and vital life each day, unfortunately each opportunity is hidden in the "unwelcome interruptions" that the Lord allows to come our way.

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.
Chuck Swindoll