Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. (Proverbs 4:23)

Benjamin Franklin is reported to have said that the viewpoint which had most influenced his life was, “Some people grumble because God placed thorns among roses. Why not thank God because He placed roses among thorns?”

The longer I live, the more I respect the profound impact that attitude has on one’s life. A person’s outlook, in my view, has greater bearing on his or her destiny than circumstances and upbringing, than failures and successes, than education, ability, or giftedness. Our attitudes also shape how we face everyday trials and how we emerge from life’s crosswinds.

Even though our attitudes are commanding forces, we have the power to control and to shape them. With the assistance of the Spirit, we can choose in every moment of every day either to be grateful for the roses or to grumble about the thorns. To achieve this perspective requires that, above all else, we guard our hearts and minds. The apostle Paul understood this and to assist us, he left a powerful and beautifully expressed exhortation: “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."