Are you prone to having more stress in your life based on your attitude. Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Most people are not aware that this can have a definite impact on the amount of stress that they live with.
I was having a conversation with a co-worker last week about the use of debit and credit cards for purchases on the internet. She worries that someone will steal her information. I told her that I do not worry about it at all. I explained that I do not feel that it could never happen to me. I believe in being careful, but realize that thieves are very good and there is always that possibility that they get my card numbers and use them.
I told her that I look at worst case scenario and realize that I may be inconvenienced short term with the loss of money if they get money out of my checking account. Eventually, the bank would credit me back the funds, because I will not be held responsible for fraudulent charges. Also, I know that God has always provided for my needs (not wants) and always will.
Phillipians 4:19 NIV
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Later on that night, I got a phone call from my bank asking if I was in California pulling out money from ATMs. There had been close to $600 in transactions in a short period of time. I explained that I did not do these transactions. He proceeded to cancel my debit card and order me a new one. The next day I had to go to the bank to fill out a report to deny the charges and request a refund. I was told that it could take up to 2 weeks to get my money back.
If I did not have the positive attitude going into this experience, I would have experienced a huge amount of stress. My faith in God to provide for my needs, allowed me to get through this experience with no stress at all. Today, the bank has put the money back into my account. How would have you handled the situation?
This same approach can be applied to all aspects of your life. So many people worry about what could possibly go wrong. There is nothing wrong with thinking about what could go wrong so that you have back up plans if needed. Bad things happen to everyone. If you really put things into perspective, the worst case scenario is not really as bad as we think it is. Remember, is it a “want” or a “need”. It is all in the attitude.
