Reframe It!

February 13, 2019

You can’t control what happens to you, but you can control how you frame it.  You determine the meaning of what happens to you.  You will find what you are looking for. Like two different types of birds flying around.  The vulture and the hummingbird.  What does the vulture find when it flies around?  Dead stuff.  Rotting stuff.  Road kill.  What does a hummingbird find?  Beautiful stuff.  Flowers.  Nectar.  Why?  ‘Cause that’s what they’re looking for.  And you will find what you’re looking for.  You can’t control what happens to you, but you can control how you frame it.  You determine the meaning of what happens to you.  Let’s turn to the Bible.  When you open up the Bible, you meet a man named Paul.  Paul’s big dream is to bring the Gospel to the world’s biggest city, the capital city, the center of the world, Rome.  But it doesn’t quite work out the way Paul planned.  Paul gets arrested.  He is charged with being a follower of Jesus Christ – a crime which carries a death sentence.  So, instead of being a preacher in Rome, Paul winds up being a prisoner in Rome.  He’s locked up, chained to a Roman guard 24/7, a new guard every 8 hours.  What’s Paul’s attitude?  I’ll tell you what Paul didn’t say – he could have said it, but he didn’t say it.  Paul could have said: “I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what happened to me really stinks.”  That’s what he could have said.  He could have said: “As a result of everything I’m going through, I quit.  I’m never going back to church again.”  That’s what he could have said. But here is what Paul actually said: “I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the Gospel.  As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.  And because of my chains, all the believers have been proclaiming the Gospel more and more courageously and fearlessly.”  (Philippians 1:12-14)   Paul is saying, “What everyone else thought was bad, I think turned out to be good!  Think about it!  I wanted to bring the Gospel to Rome.  Now I get an all-expense-paid trip to Rome, compliments of the Roman government.  I get a new Roman guard chained to me every 8 hours.  God just gave me … a captive audience!  Everybody thinks I’m a prisoner.  But guess who the real prisoner is!” 

Paul would tell you: You can’t control what happens to you, but you can control how you frame it.  You determine the meaning of what happens to you.  A lot of people would say, “This is really bad, Paul, really bad.”  Paul said, “This is really good, folks, really good!”  Paul said: “I don’t see myself as a captive.  I see myself as a preacher with a captive audience!”
 
Look where God is working … and you will find God working. Look for the good in people … you can find the good in people. And guess what will happen? Your attitude will change. Your perspective will change. Your relationships will change. Your influence will change.
Friend, here’s what I’m saying …
Do you want to be a vulture … or a hummingbird?
Do you want to be a whiner … or a winner?
Do you want to be a prisoner … or do you want to be Paul, with a captive audience?
Guess what. You get to choose. That’s what it boils down to.
You cannot control what happens to you. But you can control how you frame it.
 
 

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