How High Will You Climb?

John C. Maxwell

• Publisher: HarperCollins Leadership
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781400205929
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

A positive attitude comes easy in times of joy and progress. But the real test of character comes during times of turmoil and conflict--which are always just on the horizon. When the skies above appear stormy, how will you steer that internal plane we call attitude?In How High Will You Climb? bestselling author and pastor John C. Maxwell emphasizes that even in the worst of storms, we are never flying solo. With God supporting our approach in every challenge that comes our way, we have the power to choose--yes, choose--the attitude we take with us on our journey. Oftentimes our outward expression and attitude during conflict is every bit as critical as the inward struggle, and our approach to the struggles in our family, in work, in life in general will actually determine the outcome more than the actual struggle. The choice is yours--when your path brings you through your next storm, how high will you climb?

SECTION III

THE CRASHING OF YOUR ATTITUDE

8

Mayday! Mayday! My Attitude Is Losing Altitude

One of the first things I discovered during my ride in a small airplane was that turbulence often makes the ride a little rough. Just as flying has its rough weather, so does life. A smooth day is the exception, not the norm. Flying straight and level usually comes as a recovery from climbs, descents, and turns. It’s the exception, not the rule.

Have you ever had a day like the small boy had in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, by Judith Viorst?

I went to bed with gum in my mouth and now there’s gum in my hair and when I got out of bed this morning I tripped on the skateboard and by mistake I dropped my sweater in the sink while the water was running and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.¹

Here are some rules to remember when you have one of those terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days and your attitude starts to plummet.

RULE 1:

MAINTAIN THE RIGHT ATTITUDE WHEN THE “GOING GETS TOUGH.”

Our natural reaction is to bail out of the right attitude to compensate for our problems. During our flight of life, our attitude is most critical during the “tough times.” That is when we are tempted to panic and make bad attitude decisions. When we crash, it comes from a wrong reaction, not the turbulence. How often have we seen the “making a mountain out of a molehill” response become more dangerous than the problem itself?

Remember, the difficulty really becomes a problem when we internalize unfortunate circumstances. Another thing to remember when the weather gets rough is that what really matters is what happens in us, not to us! When the external circumstances lead to wrong internal reactions, we really have problems.

I once talked to a man who was having financial difficulty. He faced the prospect of losing everything. I offered prayer and encouragement during this difficult time. His reaction: “I’ve never been closer to God!” He told how this trial was making him stronger in his walk with God. Paul told Timothy that Christians would be persecuted. He said that not only had he endured persecution but also that God had always delivered him (2 Tim. 3:11–12). Paul allowed the storms of life to strengthen him. How different from those who yell, “I quit!” every time difficulty arises.

RULE 2:

REALIZE THAT THE “ROUGH WEATHER” WILL NOT LAST FOREVER.

When you’re caught in the middle of touchy situations, it is often difficult to remember this truth. We become consumed with the problems. Our entire outlook is colored by the present. A drowning person is not concerned about tomorrow’s schedule.

There is an expression I use quite often when I sense that the difficulties of the day are overwhelming me. At the moment when I have “had enough,” I say, “This too shall pass!” That brief statement really works. It helps me gain perspective on my situation.

Many times I have heard runners talk about the “highs” they receive in running. (It is hard to convince me of their claim when I observe the grimaces on their faces as they run.) Once they receive their “second wind,” they feel like they could run all day. Their secret? Run until you get your second wind. The first part is difficult and painful. The last part is easier and fruitful.

RULE 3:

TRY TO MAKE MAJOR DECISIONS BEFORE THE STORM.

Many storms can be avoided by thinking and planning ahead. A pilot will check the weather in his planned flight before he makes his decision to proceed. When flying, he will check his radar or call ahead to anticipate weather conditions.

Obviously, not all storms can be avoided. Yet I wonder how many we encounter because we fail to check all the resources available to us. Too many times our troubles are a result of our own poor planning and not the conditions that surround our lives.

To avoid some potential storms in life, we need to know and rely on rough weather indicators. I’ve listed some possible “eyes” that can help us foresee trouble and questions we should ask before proceeding toward solving the problem:

ROUGH WEATHER INDICATORS:	QUESTIONS TO ASK MYSELF:
Lack of experience	Do I know someone with successful experience in this area?
Lack of knowledge	Have I studied sufficiently to direct my course effectively?
Lack of time	Did I allow the process of time to work on me as well as the storm?
Lack of facts	Are all the facts gathered to allow a proper decision?
Lack of prayer	Is this idea God’s or mine? If mine, does God bless it and back it through His Word?

Even after all weather indicators have been checked, we will still probably encounter some storms. Life’s difficulties have a crazy way of sneaking up on us. When that happens, try to delay as many major decisions as possible. Our life is a series of “ups and downs.” (See illustration on the following page.) There is one major difference between people who jump from one major problem to another and those who go from one major success to the next. The difference is timing.

Those who make one bad decision after another make their major decisions during the “lows” of life. Those who exhibit the “Midas touch” have learned to wait until the “lows” pass and they feel on top of things.

When do you make the big “D”?

I cringe when I hear seminar speakers say, “It is more important to make the wrong decision immediately than to make no decision.” Don’t you believe it! The key to success in decision making is as much timing as making the right choice.

The wrong decision at the wrong time = disaster

The wrong decision at the right time = mistake

The right decision at the wrong time = unacceptance

The right decision at the right time = success

Usually wrong decisions are made at the wrong time, and right decisions are made at the right time. The reason? We let our environment control our thinking, which controls our decisions. Therefore, the more decisions that are made in the calm of life, the fewer times storms can bring us down.

RULE 4:

KEEP IN CONTACT WITH THE CONTROL TOWER.

Every pilot knows the value of communicating with knowledgeable people during times of trouble. The natural reaction when having difficulty in the sky is to radio for help. We do not always do this in our daily living.

Our tendency is often to try to make it on our own. We admire that rugged, independent individual who “pulled himself up by his bootstraps.” That is the American way. At times we are all little Frank Sinatras belting out for all to hear, “I did it my way.”

Jesus sings a different song. Its words speak about fullness of joy and fruitfulness. The thesis of His song states, “Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). The title of His song is “Abide in Me and I in You” or, more modernly stated, “You’ll Be Fine If You’re Connected to the Vine.”

Stanza 1 says, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me” (John 15:4).

Stanza 2 says, “I am the Vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Stanza 3 says, “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned” (John 15:6).

Stanza 4 says, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7).

During a time of revival at Skyline, God began dealing with me about Jesus’ statement, “Apart from Me, you can do nothing.” I have always been prone to think, Apart from God I can only do some things. I would quickly admit my need for Him to do exceed “abundantly beyond all that we ask or think” (Eph. 3:20), but that which was less than extraordinary I felt sufficient to accomplish by myself. I learned that I can fly solo in my world no longer. Whether I’m in rough weather or in calm blue skies, I must keep in contact with Christ.

Attitude Application

Please read the following statements. Take a moment to apply these truths to your present attitude.

1. “What really matters is what happens in us, not to us.”
Which is more important: wrong action directed at me or wrong reaction within me?
Why?

2. “What we sow, we always reap.”
Is that true?
If not, why?

3. “The difference between success and failure in decision making is often timing.”
When does a winner make his or her decisions?
When do I make mine?

We talked about factors that cause us to lose altitude. The following chapters of section III are “crash causers.” These are either the things that cause us to crash or the things we blame when we mak...