What An Orange Taught Me.

18 Sep What An Orange Taught Me.

The Orange Story.
I had a couple of oranges in the sink, about to wash them since they just came from the market. There was a particularly pretty one, well ripened without spot or speckle. I thought to myself that I was going to make me some orange juice beginning with that one.

I took out my citrus juicer, plugged it in and got the knife to start cutting up the oranges, if you thought I started with the pretty one, your thoughts are correct. But the sad story is that when I cut it open, a very unpleasant smell oozed out of it, and I was saddened by the fact that it wasn’t beautiful enough to eat, the skin was beautiful, but that was it, it was no good for its purpose; eating. So I had to throw it away!

Just like that orange, so many people get thrown away: out of jobs, relationships, schools, favours, and so on because they stink on the inside, not a foul smell from the body, but from the heart. When they are opened up, they smell like rot even though they look might look beautiful on the outside.

How can something that looks so pretty on the outside be so bad and sour on the inside? How can someone who looks so beautiful and charming turn out to be despicable when “cut open”?

It’s The Attitude.
A person’s attitude tells if he/she is beautiful on the inside. And attitude either attracts or repels. I have seen people who are not strikingly beautiful or enormously talented picked over others who are very good looking and talented; their attitude is the reason.

Good looks might attract someone to you but only a good attitude will keep that someone attracted to you.  No matter how hard they try, people will not be able to put up with someone who has a wrong attitude for too long.

Have you ever seen someone who cannot keep good relationships, doesn’t have genuine friends, and can’t hold a job…? Many times the reason is a rotten attitude.

Some people don’t know how to talk to others, they look down on everyone, they know everything, and they just can’t get over themselves. Some others think like the victim always, they believe they are good for nothing and cannot amount to anything so they go about trying to make everyone else “feel” their “pain”.

While some others are so very suspicious of everything and everyone, maybe because of past incidents, they have a settled belief about people and things, and this is affecting their attitude in very bad ways.

The Effects Of A Bad Attitude On A Person.
A person’s attitude is a result of the way he/she thinks and feels, this in turn affects their behaviour. Some of these behaviours are:

• Anger
• Disrespect-whether to an older or younger person
• Pride
• Suspicion
• Deceit
• Lying… and many more

Anyone who displays one or more of these behaviours will not be able to have meaningful relationships because they will keep causing pain.

In order to change these behaviours you must replace them with positive behaviours: Calm, respect, humility, trust, integrity…and to replace these behaviours, you must change your attitude, to change your attitude you must change your thinking, to change your thinking I strongly recommend that you follow the guidelines prescribed by the Bible.

…Whatsoever things are true,
Whatsoever things are honest,
Whatsoever things are just,
Whatsoever things are pure,
Whatsoever things are lovely,
Whatsoever things are of good report;
If there be any virtue,and
If there be any praise,
think on these things.
 Philippians 4:8

The Effects Of Right Thinking.
What are you thinking right now, especially about someone? It will affect your relationship with that person.  If it is true but not just, or just but not honest, true, just, honest but not pure, lovely but not of a good report… you get what I mean, then you shouldn’t think on it.

That way you will begin to re-orientate your mind and consequently your behaviour and attitude will take a turn for good.

I want to make sure I do my best to get along with people, not please them but get along with them and leave a lasting positive impression, I want to look finer on my inside than I do outside.

Don’t be like that orange, let your looks match your heart, you CAN develop a great attitude!

Copyright© Teshuva 2014

(Updated from 2012)

Photo Credit: Channelweb