A few years ago, I stood before the WHTN team going over the renovations plans for the studio. As I shared the plans, I held up a rubber band and explained that during the renovations we would all need to stretch and remain flexible.
After all the walls were coming done to make room for new sets. There was drywall work, painting, and equipment installation in front of us. I’ve done enough of these sorts of projects to know it usually takes longer and costs more than anyone expects. This type of studio project definitely requires a flexible attitude.
I taped a rubber band to my office door
When I was finished outlining the plan, I taped the rubber band to the exterior of my office door. That rubber band would be a reminder to all of us to stay flexible in the midst of such a large project.
Several weeks into the project I noticed that someone had switched out the rubber band on my office door – for an even larger rubber band. It was in fact a gigantic rubber band. There was also a sign next to the rubber band. The sign read –
Blessed are the flexible, they shall not break.
After I stopped laughing, I realized the sign spoke the truth. In every project, in every relationship, in just about every circumstance a flexible mindset can make a tremendous difference. How do we achieve this kind of flexibility?
One of the first steps is what I call the Attitude Commitment. That means that at the beginning of whatever the project, relationship, or situation we find ourselves in that we decide at the onset that our attitude will remain flexible. Sure, we all have a certain way we want things to go. But we all know that isn’t how it usually plays out. Usually, we have to pivot – at least on some level and just having that flexible attitude and commitment helps us stay grounded and work our way through challenges in a healthy way.
The Small Things and EXTRA Large Things
One of the ways to support our attitude commitment is through prayer. The Bible tells us to pray about everything. The small things. The big things. The EXTRA-large things all require prayer. We need wisdom to make the right decisions. The wisdom we need comes from God – and wisdom is ours for the asking. Here is what the Bible says we should do to get wisdom.
“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”
James 1:5-8 NLT
Several years have passed since that sign and gigantic rubber band were taped to my office door. But the laughter and the lesson still stand. Now, when I am involved in things like large projects – or planning a holiday gathering for family – I remember the rubber band lesson. I think back to the WHTN studio renovation project I remind myself of this powerful truth:
“Blessed are the flexible they shall not break.”
The next time you find yourself thinking that nothing is going according to plan remember WHTN and the rubber band lesson. The truths found in that gigantic rubber band and sign may well help you though a challenging season.
Today’s Secret from the Studio: Blessed are the flexible they shall not break.
Monica Schmelter is the host of Bridges aired on the Christian Television Network in over 50 million homes. You can also watch Bridges on ROKU and the CTN APP on demand. Monica and her husband Joseph have one adult son. They recently welcomed a daughter in-love into their family.
