A Third Spoke in the Wheel of Wellness -- Attitude

Let's consider a third spoke of the Wheel of Wellness – ATTITUDE – optimistic and able to cope when “life happens,” a positive outlook on life
Some of the concepts related to attitude are hope, patience, trust, behavior when caught in sin, and behavior under stress. Study these related passages of Scripture:
Psalm 31:24 Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the LORD.
Psalm 43:5 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.
Psalm 130:7 O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption.
Psalm 146:5 How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the LORD his God,
Jeremiah 17:7 Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD.
Hebrews 6:11 – 19 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, "I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU." And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute. In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,
King Saul was both impatient and disobedient in the events recorded in I Samuel 13:8 – 14 Samuel had told him to meet him on a certain day so Samuel could offer sacrifices for Saul. Saul grew tired of waiting and proceeded to offer the burnt offering himself, a priestly duty. Samuel explained the penalty for his error in verses 13-14: Samuel said to Saul, "You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, for now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. "But now your kingdom shall not endure The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you."
Contrast the patience of David as he recorded in the Psalms:
Psalm 27:14 Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.
Psalm 37:34 Wait for the LORD and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
Contrast the response of Saul and David when each was discovered to have sinned:
1 Samuel 15 records Saul's disobedience. In verse 3, God told Saul to “...strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him, but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.” But when (verse 9) Saul spared Agag, the king of Amalek, and the best of the sheep, oxen, fatlings, lambs, and all that was good, Samuel came to him again. At first Saul claimed that he had obeyed, then he blamed the soldiers, then finally admitted that he was also wrong. It seems to me that Saul was not sorry he had disobeyed, but was sorry that he got caught.
When David committed adultery with Bathsheba (II Samuel 11-12), David first tried to hide his sin by having her husband killed in battle. When confronted by the prophet Nathan, David acknowledged (12:13), "I have sinned against the LORD " And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die.” David recorded his remorse in Psalm 51:2 – 4 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.
Contrast the response of Saul and David when they were each subjected to intense stress:
See I Samuel 28 – Saul became so distressed that he resorted to a medium for guidance; that is hardly representative of good health and balance. The next day he died in battle, far more concerned that the enemy might torture or mutilate him than whether he could win the battle.
See II Samuel 15-19 When his son Absalom declared himself king, David ran for his life (15:30). Then when he learned that Absalom had been killed in battle, he grieved bitterly (18:33). Finally, in response to the prodding of Joab, his army commander, David composed himself (19:8) so those who had rescued his kingdom and his life could see him.
A good attitude is very supportive of wellness; a bad attitude undermines wellness. The person who is hopeful, patient, trusting, aware of his own shortcomings, and is able to operate despite stress is generally more likely to be healthy than the impatient, suspicious pessimist who blames everyone else for his problems.

This, then, is a third spoke in the Wheel of Wellness. How well is your wheel turning so far?


Scripture from NASB