As the Foremans settled into their new country in North Africa, they realised how different everything was. The entire culture was completely foreign to them, and they too, in a sense, had to become like the locals to see them through God’s eyes.
On page 44, Emily says this:
“We realised that if we were going to settle in here and not go crazy in the face of everything that was so different, we needed to maintain a good attitude. The people of this impoverished nation seldom complained. They didn’t have Walmarts, online shopping, or fast-food menus. They ate rice and couscous every day of the week, but they never moaned about it. And that humbled us. We’d been spoiled back home. The kids would complain sometimes, but Stephen and I tried not to nurture it, least of all contribute to it. Bad attitudes are contagious, and it worked both ways. If we could learn to love the country and cultivate positivity, the kids would catch on.”
Choosing Gratitude in Every Circumstance
I love these words because I find that even here, though we are surrounded by much goodness, we tend to complain. We tend to lose our good attitude and get all bogged down. And if the Foremans up in the Middle East could maintain an good attitude of gratitude even though they didn’t have any of the stuff they had back home, then perhaps you and I too should work on our attitudes here.
You know, the Bible talks a lot about not grumbling and complaining. Jesus never grumbled or complained. And when you look at the lives of Paul, Peter, and the disciples, it seems that they didn’t either.
A Witness Through Joy and Hope
So what if we, as the Church, had such a positive attitude in the Name of Christ that it started to catch on all around us? What if you and I are the type of people others describe as always joyful? Nothing can get those people down - even in difficult situations, they are full of hope, joy, and peace?
I pray that today you will have an attitude of gratitude rather than an attitude of moaning and complaining. I know times are tough, and I know there is difficulty all around. I’m not talking about a shallow attitude when things are though, but about a deep-seated hope that allows us always to trust and positive.
What a world it could be if the Church of God everywhere took up this type of attitude!
Meet John Pritchard, an early Methodist preacher who walked twelve hundred miles through an Irish winter rather than let poverty stop his ministry, and learned to see God’s help in all things. A moving true story on gratitude in hardship.