Winston Churchill stated, “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” A survivor of the Holocaust, Viktor Frankl, said, “Everything can be taken from a man, but one thing: the last of human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.” Most people who watch sports know that two athletes might be almost at the same level of ability, but their frame of mind or attitude is what makes the difference. One can clearly see a change from hope to defeat in the facial expression and body language of an athlete who allows a negative attitude.

We all need encouragement with our attitudes. Paul wrote that even when a person is being corrected by God, they can strengthen the hands which hang down and the feeble knees (Hebrews 12:12-13). That is attitude. God instructed Job to “gird up his loins” (Job 38:3, King James Version) in the midst of his despair. God expected Job to get up from the low place to which he had fallen. At that moment, nothing had changed except that God was directing the thoughts of Job in a positive direction. Hope and vision are anchors for the soul (Hebrews 6:19). We can embrace hope and choose a positive attitude as Jesus did (Hebrews 12:2).