A drive through the country on a back, dirt road to attend a birthday party took us through some deep puddles and deep mud. My car is still covered with black remnants and waiting for a good wash. An onlooker in the church parking lot mused, “Been mudding?” With a laugh I responded, “Well, a matter of fact, yes!” My mother wisely observed, “The mud should make us grateful that we had a good rain.” Pause and contemplate.
No mud means no rain. The mud on the car suddenly became a reminder that God had blessed us with a good rain! We can either complain about the mud or thank God for the rain. This is true in so many areas of life. We can complain that we had to wash dishes or thank God we had food to get them dirty. We can complain that we had to make the bed or thank God we had a bed to sleep in. We can complain that we must clean the house or thank God we have a house to clean. We can complain that our kids are not listening or thank God that we have kids to bless our families. You can either focus on the mud or focus on the rain.
The Bible instructs us to focus on what is good and worthy of praise. The Word of God says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8, NIV). Set your mind on things that stir praise – things that are excellent, honorable, and lovely. Jesus said to His disciples, “Stop grumbling among yourselves” (John 6:43, NIV). Paul admonished believers, “Do everything without complaining or arguing” (Philippians 2:14, NIV). God wants His people to live with praise and thanksgiving. He wants our attitude to be filled with gratitude.
A powerful lesson that surfaces from Scripture is that our attitude is shaped by our focus. If the focus is the mud that covers the car than the attitude is sour. If the focus is the rain that just blessed the earth than the attitude is joy. The same puddle that stirs complaint can also stir thanks, depending on your focus. If you focus on problems, you will live depressed; if you focus on Christ then you can live with joy. Peter walked on the water in the storm as long as he looked at Christ. He began to sink into the waves when he took his eyes off Jesus.
The simple truth is that if you change your focus, you can change your life. Count your blessings instead of your problems. Look to Jesus instead of the world. See the rainbow instead of the storm. Look up instead of down. Everybody must go through mud puddles – rather than complaining about the mud, thank God for the rain.