Attitude is Everything
Attitude is Everything
By Tami Allen
In Sunday School, the teacher related a story about a man who received a not so nice parrot as a gift. It really hit home for me, so I wanted to share it.
The Rude Parrot:
A young man named John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary.
Every word out of the bird’s’ mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird’s attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to ‘clean up’ the bird’s vocabulary.
Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even more rude. John, in desperation, threw up his hand, grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer. For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed.
Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute.
Fearing that he’d hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John’s outstretched arms and said “I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I’m sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior.”
John was stunned at the change in the bird’s attitude. As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird spoke-up, very softly, “Um, may I ask what the turkey did?” (Story found here)
Once in a while, I feel a bit like that rude, obnoxious parrot. My Heavenly Father is trying to mold me, to shape me, to teach me, and to guide me--and all he meets with is resistance, and sometimes maybe even a little bit of rudeness (or profanity) on my part! Especially during difficulties or trials, just like the parrot, I have a terrible attitude and stubbornly refuse to change. These last few years, however, I have learned that attitude is indeed everything. When I have been submissive, and humble, and let the Lord be in control, I have been happier, and felt more peaceful. When I have been controlling and dominant and tried to tell the Lord how I think things should be, or how I want things to turn out, I have felt frustrated, anxious, and hopeless.
In a talk called “A Voice of Gladness”, Marvin J. Ashton said:
“Disappointments, death, losses, or failures are real and difficult to manage but should never cause us to have barbed tongues, lasting resentment, or negative attitudes. The gospel encourages us to develop the capacity to learn from the past and present and see the opportunities that can be ours in the days to come.”
From the Doctrine and Covenants, we are given this counsel: “Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven; and a voice of truth out of the earth; glad tidings for the dead; a voice of gladness for the living and the dead; glad tidings of great joy. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that bring glad tidings of good things.” (Doctrine and Covenants 128:19.)
The Lord would have us mingle our voices of gladness with His to give strength, encouragement, and joy to His children.
The last few years have been difficult and frustrating at times for our family. I know the experiences we are having, even though they are hard, are for our good. I know that everything happens for a reason and the trials we are going through will help us to grow. Most of all, I know that down the road, I will look back on these experiences and see the growth in my testimony, and the changes for good that came because of them for me and my family. I also know that through it all, my attitude matters! I can choose to squawk, kick, scream, and be angry at God, or I can choose to have an attitude that is humble and submissive.
In Doctrine and Covenants 24:8 we read: “Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many; but endure them, for, lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days.” We need to remember that while we have no control over the many afflictions we will face in this life, we do have control over how we react to them. A good attitude can change a heart wrenching trial into a learning experience. A good attitude can change a resentful, unforgiving heart into a loving and Christlike heart. It really is that simple. Change your attitude, change your mindset, and change your life! We need to also remember that we are never alone. The Lord will be with us every step of the way, and His loving care and influence can help us to find a voice of gladness, and glad tidings of great joy, even in the most trying of circumstances. This is the beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ!
