According To His Purpose – Slinkard On Success

By: D. A. Slinkard

Sometimes it is hard to have a positive attitude. There are days it would be easier to be grumpy than to take the approach you know needs to be taken. I like to think of myself as a positive individual, but there are times when the negativity creeps into my way of thinking. What can I say? I am human just like everyone else, but I believe we can get a better hold of our attitudes if we make a conscious effort. I believe if a person wants to be positive or if they want to be negative it all comes from their focal point. Think positive and positive things happen, think negative and you will get negative results.

Recently, I found out my Crohn’s disease has progressed to the point my current medication, Lialda, is no longer a viable treatment option, and now I am about to begin treatments using Humira. I can tell you I am not excited about this one bit; honestly, it scares me because I fear becoming a science experiment. My doctor tells me that my chances of having another colon resection goes from the current 60% chance down to an 8% chance being on Humira. Talk about impacting your attitude; this has definitely had an impact on my entire world around me!

Despite the fears of being a walking science experiment, I think to Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Having gone through the battles I have faced with Crohn’s, I can honestly tell you it has brought me closer in my relationship with Jesus Christ. I have learned how to trust in Him more than at any point in my life, and my focal point for maintaining a positive attitude revolves around glorifying God. What would my testimony look like if I had a negative attitude? The more I trust in Christ, the more I notice my overall attitude, approach, and life all changing for the positive.

All of these changes have made me think about the motivations of life and how different people are motivated by different things. Recently, I read Colossians 3:23, “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” This put things in a different perspective for me in which I found a new motivation for doing things. On tasks that I may have had a negative approach to in the past, I suddenly found myself with a new positive perspective because I imagined myself doing the task for the Lord, not as if I was doing it for any other person. Talk about having an improvement in my attitude and approach! I can tell you when you start using scripture from the Bible, your life will begin to change.

I wonder how many times we put limits on God, and I must admit I have been guilty of limiting God in the past. Maybe this sounds familiar to you as well? How many times do we confine God to a small box of what we think He can or cannot do, when if we would just get out of the way and allow God to move in our lives, how different our lives would be? I personally find inspiration from Luke 1:37, “For with God nothing shall be impossible,” and find myself questioning how many times I have doubted God when I should have put my faith in Him rather than my doubt.

This thought process brings me to the next scripture of Proverbs 16:3, “Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.” How many times do we think we have to go it alone? How many times do we try to rely upon our own self and not trust upon the Lord to lead and direct our lives? Instead, I believe these scriptures combined with each other can make for one powerful story.

We talk about having a positive attitude. If we would take the time to dive into God’s presence and study His Word, we would find every bit of motivation we need. We just need to make a decision about what is and is not going to be important to us. I am a firm believer that if it is important to you, you will find a way. If it is not important, you will make an excuse. What is important in your life?
By: D. A. Slinkard
D.A. Slinkard is the manager of the Athens Staples store