A little boy was overheard talking to himself as he strutted through
the backyard, wearing his baseball cap and toting a ball and bat. "I'm the
greatest hitter in the world," he announced. Then, he tossed the ball into
the air, swung at it, and missed.
"Strike One!" he yelled. Undaunted, he picked up the ball and said
again, "I'm the greatest hitter in the world!" He tossed the ball into the
air. When it came down he swung again and missed. "Strike Two!" he cried.
The boy then paused a moment to examine his bat and ball carefully.
He spit on his hands and rubbed them together. He straightened his cap and
said once more, "I'm the greatest hitter in the world!" Again he tossed
the ball up in the air and swung at it. He missed. "Strike Three!"
"Wow!" he exclaimed. "I'm the greatest pitcher in the world!"
Your attitude determines how circumstances impact your life. The
little boy's circumstances hadn't changed, but his optimistic attitude
prompted him to give an encouraging meaning to what had happened.
What difficult time are you going through right now? Can you do
something to change it? If you can, don't wait another day, make the
needed changes. If you can't change the circumstance, however, change your
attitude, you'll discover that circumstances won't have the last word.