It Happened in Paris
Character-enhancing Lesson:
Positive Thinking
Paris, France; December 3, 1996 . . .
Next, I journeyed to Paris, France. I sat on the patio outside my hotel room and admired a scenic view of the 1,056-foot-tall Eiffel Tower. I had just been lounging around all day, watching TV and enjoying my brief stay in the spectacular European capital city.
I poured the remainder of a bottle of red wine into a clear glass. The glass was exactly half full of wine. I held the empty bottle of wine in one hand and the television’s black remote control in the other hand. Then I looked at the glass of wine.
Pessimistically, I moaned and groaned and said, “Lord, this glass is half EMPTY! Should I call room service to order another bottle of wine or switch the channel of my thinking?”
God joined me on the patio. “Bonjour, Wantsalittle! Parlais vouis Francais?”
“Lord, what did You just say?”
God smiled and chuckled for a moment. “I said, ‘Hello, Wantsalittle! Do you speak French?’”
With an expression of bewilderment, I replied, “Are You kidding? I can barely speak English!”
The Lord smiled again and said, “Wantsalittle, what’s on your mind, today?”
Now that God was speaking in a language that I could understand, I asked, “Lord, could You help me with my thinking and my attitude about life, in general?”
The Lord began our conversation with a notable quote. She said, “Renowned author and speaker Norman Vincent Peale stated, ‘The hard facts and circumstances of life are not so important as how we perceive these conditions. . . . A glass of water is either half full or half empty, depending on how we choose to look at it.’ Positive thinking reflects your optimistic frame of mind. It means making the most out of everyday circumstances and looking at the bright side of things. Developing a more positive mental posture will uplift your spirit and improve your outlook on life.”
“Sometimes it’s difficult to have a positive attitude,” I said.
“Wantsalittle, you’re right. But you should constantly strive to replace your negative thoughts and emotions—fear, doubt, anger, etc.—with more positive ones—love, faith, confidence, etc. You should be prepared to capitalize on every opportunity. That is what positive thinking is all about. When you think with a positive attitude, you will act self-confidently. And as one possible result, you can open the door to new opportunities.”
“Lord, I pledge to do my best to shape a more positive frame of mind.”
The Lord nodded Her approval with my affirmative response. Just before God went on Her merry way, She exclaimed, “Bonne chance! Bon voyage! . . . Wantsalittle, that means ‘Good luck! Have a nice day!’”
“Merci beaucoup! Au revoir!” I hollered, in French, right before the Lord disappeared. I knew a little more French than I had previously let on. Earlier, I had just wanted God to know, for sure, that She was a little smarter than me!
While I sat out on the patio, the unusually warm, early December, afternoon sun shined brightly down on me. I hoisted the umbrella on the patio table. The huge umbrella displayed alternating white and blue sections, perhaps symbolic of God, who was sort of my “White Knight,” and my personal dreams, which could be symbolized as “blue sky.”
Optimistically, I looked into my wine glass and said to myself, “I see that the glass is half FULL! That’s plenty to quench my momentary thirst.”
(The moral of this episode: To capitalize on every opportunity in life, you must think positively. Try to replace negative thoughts with more positive ones!)
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