Have This Attitude
in Yourselves…
(Philippians 2:1-7)
By Dave Redick
Hwy 20 Church of Christ, Sweet Home, OR
When I was growing up my family and I often watched the old Candid Camera program on TV. I remember an episode where an attractive lady was stationed in the corridor of a certain office building. She had beside her a large, heavy suitcase in which was hidden a battery powered gyroscope. Each time a man came into the hallway, she would ask for help carrying the suitcase down the hall and into an office several doors from the end. Of course, each man was more than happy to carry the suitcase for this attractive lady. As each man lifted the suitcase and started down the corridor, she would engage him in small talk. Everything was fine until they came up adjacent to the office door and he turned and tried to go in. That gyroscope resisted his turn! I was great fun to watch the surprise then the determination on each man’s face as the force of that gyroscope resisted his ego as he struggled to enter that room. Attitude is very much like a gyroscope. Once set, it resists changes of direction – either for better or worse.
Introduction
In the May, 1989 issue of the READER’S DIGEST, there was a short article condensed from PARADE MAGAZINE that held a powerful message about attitude and the role it plays in our lives. It’s called, "The Life My Mother Chose," and it was written by Marie Raggheanti.
She writes,
"Like most small children, I believed my mother could do anything. She was a vital, vibrant woman who played tennis, sewed all our clothes and wrote a newspaper column. I was in awe of her accomplishments.
"She loved to entertain, and would spend hours preparing hors d'oeuvres, filling the house with flowers from her garden, and rearranging the furniture to make room for friends to dance. But it was Mother who loved to dance most of all.
"Mesmerized, I would watch her dress for the festivities. Even today, I remember our favorite black dress with the midnight lace bodice, the perfect foil for her blond hair. Then she would put on her black, high-heeled pumps and become, in my eyes, the most beautiful woman in the world.
"But at 31 her life changed. And so did mine.
"Suddenly, it seemed, she was flat on her back, confined to a hospital bed, paralyzed by a benign spinal tumor. I was ten at the time, too young to comprehend the irony of the word benign, for she was never the same."
Raggheanti goes on to describe how her mother progressed to a wheelchair, taught her to cook, gave birth to a second child, returned to college to receive her master's degree in guidance and counseling. She founded a support group for handicapped people and struggled valiantly with her disability in spite of disappointments. It was an inspiring story by a woman whose mother was a true hero.
The best part of the article, I felt, was a letter that Marie's mother wrote to an inmate at a penitentiary where she taught creative writing. The man's name was Waymon. It is an inspiration. She wrote,
"Dear Waymon,
"I have been thinking about you often since receiving your letter. You mentioned how difficult it is to be locked behind bars, and my heart goes out to you. But when you say I can't imagine what it is like to be in prison, I feel impelled to say you are mistaken."
"There are different kinds of prison, Waymon.
"When, at age 31, I awoke one day completely paralyzed, I was overwhelmed by a sense of being imprisoned in a body that would no longer allow me to run through a meadow or dance or carry my child in my arms.
"For a long time I lay there asking myself whether life was worth living. It seemed I had lost everything that mattered.
"But then one day it occurred to me that I still had the freedom to make choices. Would I smile when I saw my children, or weep? Would I rail against God - or would I ask him to strengthen my faith? In other words, what would I do with the free will that was still mine?
"I decided to live as fully as I could, to look for ways to transcend my physical limitations by expanding my mental and spiritual boundaries. I could choose to be a role model for my children, or I could wither and die, emotionally as well as physically.
"There are many kinds of freedom, Waymon. When we lost one kind, we must look for another.
"You can look at your bars, or you can look through them. You can be a role model for younger inmates, or you can mix with troublemakers. You can love god and seek to know him, or you can turn your back on him.
"To some extent, Waymon, we are in this together."
What struck me about the contents of this article was the fact that this young mother was still able to live a fulfilled life in spite of her severe handicap because, as she said in her letter to the man in prison, she chose to do it. "I decided to live fully as I could, to look for ways to transcend my physical limitations by expanding my mental and spiritual boundaries. I could choose to be a role model for my children, or I could wither and die, emotionally as well as physically."
In this message I would like to remind us all of the extreme importance of the attitude we choose in living out your life.
(Read Philippians 2:5-7)
I. The Importance of Attitude.
If you check an unabridged dictionary under the word "attitude," you’ll find some very helpful definitions. The primary definition that my copy of Webster's gives is this: "The posture or position of a person showing or meant to show a mental state, emotion, or mood.
When our kids were small, Kathi used to have sign on the dishwasher that said, "The dishes are…" Then below there was a little reversible sign. On one side it said "clean" and the other "dirty." I thought that was a really cleaver idea until one day I found one that said, "Mom’s mood is…" On one side it said "good" on the other it said "bad."
"The posture or position of a person showing or meant to show a mental state, emotion, or mood."
Contrary to what we sometimes believe, we do have the option of choosing our attitude.
Webster continues in his definitions: "In aeronautics, the position of an aircraft in relation to a given point of reference, usually the ground." We’re talking here about the way the pilot positions the wings and rudder, which positions the rest of the plane. The attitude of the plane will determine whether it slices through the air unhindered or crashes into the ground. Just like in life, attitude can determine survival.
Webster gave yet another definition: "In painting and sculpture, the posture, disposition, or action in which a figure is placed." Is the subject tensed? Laid back? Crouched? In painting and sculpture, the attitude of the subject can make the art either interesting or boring.
We're talking, of course, about our posture or position or attitude toward the circumstances of life. Does it allow us to slice through the troubles of life in spite of limiting circumstances or does it put us on a crash and burn course? Does the attitude we chose lock us forever into a position of mediocrity and boredom, or does it allow us to really live?
Have you ever played with a gyroscope? If you have you know what it is – a wheel of some sort that is set spinning and once moving it resists changes in direction. It is what allows you to let go of the steering wheel of your car while driving down the road and not swerve off into the ditch. Once set on a certain course, it resists a change of direction.
I have a friend who is a commercial pilot. He is also a Christian. He told me one time, after we had discussed this issue of attitudes, that the gyroscope is the primary mechanism in an airplane's auto-pilot guidance system.
When I was growing up my family and I often watched the old Candid Camera program on TV. I remember an episode where an attractive lady was stationed in the corridor of a certain office building. She had beside her a large, heavy suitcase in which was hidden a battery powered gyroscope. Each time a man came into the hallway, she would ask for help carrying the suitcase down the hall and into an office several doors from the end. Of course, each man was more than happy to carry the suitcase for this attractive lady. As each man lifted the suitcase and started down the corridor, she would engage him in small talk. Everything was fine until they came up adjacent to the office door and he turned and tried to go in. That gyroscope resisted his turn! I was great fun to watch the surprise then the determination on each man’s face as the force of that gyroscope resisted his ego as he struggled to enter that room.
Attitude is very much like a gyroscope. Once set, it resists changes of direction – either for better or worse. Let me give you a Biblical example.
(Read Luke 1:17)
Notice the appearance of the word "attitude" in the NASV. An attitude is a mindset. John the Baptist was dispatched to change the attitude of the people living in the time of Christ with his preaching. His aim was to change them from an attitude of disobedience to and attitude of righteousness so they could receive their Messiah. It is interesting to me that God saw the need to change their attitude first.
Listen to some typical words that describe different attitudes (every one of them changeable, I might add): Sad - defeated - condescending - happy - encouraged - determined - arrogant - calm. Each one of these describes an attitude or mindset.
Often such attitudes reside in us as the result of circumstances. Have you ever gotten up in a gray mood, moped around all morning, then received a letter from a friend that suddenly changed your mood? In such cases, we might say, "Your letter made my day!" Is that true? Yes, it probably is. But you and I both know that it isn't very often that we receive such letters, so what are we to do on all those days when no letter arrives? Here is where we need to realize that we have the power of choice. An attitude can be chosen. As a choice, we have control over it. Otherwise we wouldn't be reading stories like the one I read to you this morning.
Do you believe that? Do you believe attitude can be chosen apart from circumstances? In case you don't let me give you some Scripture to verify what I am saying. I want to reread our text.
(Read Philippians 2:5-7)
Notice that these verses contain a command: "Have this attitude in yourselves…" God does not command a thing of us that He doesn't expect us to do. Certainly He calls on us to do some things we cannot do on our own, and some things that can be quite difficult to do, but He never asks of us what is impossible. If, therefore, God commands a certain attitude, then our assumption must be that we have the power to choose.
Dr. William James, the so-called "Father of American Psychology," stated one time that the most important discovery of our time is the fact that we can alter our lives by altering our attitudes. Of course, that statement needs to be corrected. That is the most important re-discovery of our time. It has been in the Bible for centuries.
No, the Bible doesn't make a big deal about it. Neither does it contain a long, clinical evaluation of the subject. It simply tells us to adopt certain attitudes. These attitudes will benefit us whether we understand the reasons why or not. Christians have been doing this for centuries - long before modern Psychology came on the scene.
This concept of attitude covers so much of what the Christian life is all about that we can only scratch the surface here, but let me suggest some places where the attitude we choose is important.
II. Places Where The Right Attitude Is Important.
A. The Bible Speaks of Our Attitude Toward Serving Others.
The Bible says clearly in many places that we are to serve one another. The passage in Philippians that I have already read makes that clear.
(Read Philippians 2:3-4)
What kind of an attitude is being described here? It is an attitude that regards others as more important than self.
Left to ourselves, our tendency is usually to look out for number one. The normal condition is to be self-centered. God calls on us to have a different attitude. He wants us to set our gyroscopes. When the temptation is to call attention to our own accomplishments, we can mention someone else's accomplishments first. When the temptation is to thrust ourselves into the limelight, we can push someone else up ahead of us. Such actions can be chosen.
I'm reminded of I Peter 5:6, "Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God and He will exalt you at the proper time."
Put others first. Let God be the one to put you ahead. He'll do it the right way, at the proper time. We're talking of an attitude of service.
B. The Bible Speaks of our Attitude Toward the Church.
(Read Ephesians 5:25)
What was Jesus' attitude toward the church? He gave Himself up for the church! If we are to be like Christ, what should our attitude be toward the church?
When ancient Israel was moving through the wilderness between Egypt and the Promised Land, they carried the tabernacle with them. At night, when they camped, they camped with the tabernacle right in the center of the camp.
The tabernacle was a type of the church, and as such, by that example, God is teaching us that the church should be the center of our lives.
Is the church the center of your life or is it someplace on the camp's perimeter or perhaps even outside the camp? The attitude you choose toward it will determine where it ends up. I am appalled sometimes at the apathy I see around me for the church.
Sometimes when modern kids get a little too cocky, I hear moms or dads say, "Lose the attitude, Jr.!" Perhaps God could say that to some of us regarding the church!
C. The Bible Speaks of our Attitude Toward Unity.
(Read Philippians 2:1-2)
The thing to notice in these verses is those words "same mind." They are a translation of the same word that is translated "attitude" in verse 5. In other words, if we were to translate it that way, we would come up with something like this: "Make my joy complete by being of the same attitude."
It is hard for us to attain a unity of mind, that is, to all agree on everything all the time, but it is entirely possible for us to attain a mind of unity! Paul is talking about setting that "gyroscope" attitude in order to preserve our unity with other Christians. We make up our minds that we are going to do our best to get along - we aren't going to let petty differences and petty offences separate us, even if it means the inconvenience of working through difficulties. Even if it means forfeiting some of our own personal interests for the sake of others. For better or worse, we will stick together. Oh, does the Church need more of that attitude!
A contrast to that is an attitude that is easily offended when things don't go a certain way - an attitude that is quick to say, "I'm leaving" when one doesn't get his/her way.
This is the same kind of attitude necessary to make marriage last. What it means is that a husband and wife make up their minds that they will never divorce except for Biblical grounds - they will stay together through thick and thin. Marriage is for life, but if you do not have the attitude that it is for life, it very likely won't end up being that way.
We hear a lot today about pre-nuptial agreements - contracts that are signed before marriage that spell out how the property is to be divided if there is a divorce. Now some people think having a pre-nuptial agreement is a wise move. After all, look at the divorce statistics. One out of every two marriages fails. We need to be prepared, just in case. It does have a ring of wisdom and prudence, doesn't it? But I have some reservations. What kind of an attitude does such an agreement foster? It sounds to me like the attitude of a couple in such an agreement would be something like "If this marriage doesn't work out I can always cut my losses and go back to the place where I was before it started." Contrast that to the attitude of someone who says, "Because I cannot go back to where I started if this marriage fails, I have to make it work. Otherwise I lose all."
I don't believe pre-nuptial agreements are a heaven/hell issue. I do believe that they may set the tone of a marriage in a wrong direction from the start.
D. The Bible Speaks of Our Attitude Regarding What I Call the Permanent Press.
(Read Philippians 3:12-15)
Paul is talking about an attitude, a mindset of pressing on - of not stopping - of allowing neither the victories nor the defeats of the past seriously slow us down today. They can, you know. Both the defeats and the victories of the past can slow us down.
Past victories begin to defeat us when we depend on past accomplishments for our sense of security before the Lord. We spend our time reminiscing to the extent that we become unfruitful today. Paul had certainly done a lot of good for the Lord by the time he wrote these words. Yet, he says, "I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet… ."
Past defeats can also keep us from being fruitful. We reason, "After what I've done, surely God couldn't really want me or my services today." We get discouraged about our defeats.
God will reward us for our past accomplishments and forgive us for our past defeats! We can do what Paul says here with full confidence! We can adopt an attitude of Permanent Press. We don't have to be crippled by the past. We can get out of our seats this morning and press the battle with all the energy we have. A good start might be to memorize these verses.
E. The Bible Speaks of Our Attitude Toward Trials.
(Read 1 Peter 1:6-7)
An attitude of rejoicing in the face of trials - that's what Peter says here.
Rebecca Williams put this matter of attitude in trials into a poem that I like very much:
One ship drives east and another west,
With the self-same winds that blow:
'Tis the set of the sails and not the gales
That determines where they go.
Like the winds of the sea are the ways of fate,
As we voyage along through life;
'Tis the set of a soul that decides the goal
And not the calm or the strife.It is the attitudes we adopt and not the circumstances we face that determine the outcome of our lives. Are we listening?
Conclusion
Major F.J. Harold Hushner, an army medical officer, was held by the Viet Cong for over five years. An article from NEW YORK MAGAZINE cites an incident of death among Hushner's fellow prisoners:
"Among the prisoners in Hushner's POW camp was a tough young marine, 24 years old, who had already survived two years of prison life in relatively good health. Part of the reason for this was that the camp commander had promised to release the man if he cooperated. Since this had been done before with others, the marine turned into a model POW and the leader of the camp's thought reform group. As time passed he gradually realized that his captors had lied to him. When the full realization of this took hold he became a zombie. He refused to do all work, rejected all offers of food and encouragement, and simply lay on his cot sucking his thumb. In a matter of weeks, he was dead."
"Tis the set of the sails and not the gales…
Dave Redick is Minister of the Hwy 20 Church of Christ in Sweet Home, Oregon and Editor of The Preacher's Study. He may be reached at pstudysupport@comcast.net.
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All Scripture quotations and references are from the New American Standard Version unless otherwise stated.