Two Visits

            A good long while back I was doing some visiting when I had two very different experiences.  Both visits were to those that had been ill for some time.  Both were to people in pain.  Both had additional problems brought about by their illness. As much at it seemed they would be alike, they could have been more different.

            One visit I heard nothing but complaints.  How few had visited, how bad of a time it had been, all the problems the doctors had caused, and on and on.  The other visit however, was different.  No complaints but gratefulness on those who had visited and called; concern for others that were sick and in need; hopefulness on the treatment received and the future.  One of those visits felt like work, one felt like enjoyment.  Similar circumstances, similar problems, vastly different outlooks.    

            It made me think of what the Bible says in James 1:2.  “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials”.  We often make the mistake of thinking our circumstances determine our attitudes.  That what happens to us in life determines our outlook.  But that is not true.  We can be joyous in the bad times.  We can choose a good attitude.  Life is less about what happens to us and more about how we react to it.  Our character, our faith, our hope isn’t defined by our troubles, it is revealed by them. (1^st Peter 1:6-7)

            Those two visits made me think about how I view difficulty in my own life and what kind of influence I am to others.  Do my complaints come from my own weakness, selfishness and faithlessness?  Is my outlook based on Godly principles or worldly selfishness?  Do I look at my problems as an excuse to engage in poor activities (complaining, bickering, fault finding, etc.) or as an opportunity to express the hope I have in Christ?

What will I be to the person that visits me?