Attitude Makes All the Difference

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”  Anne Frank

Many people travel through this life and leave incredible marks on the world.  One of my favorites is Anne Frank.  She and her family hid from the Nazis from 1942 until their discovery in 1944.  Anne died in a concentration camp in 1945.  This child was only 13 years old when her family of four went into hiding with four other people in an extremely small attic apartment. 

She was a typical teenager in many ways who constantly argued with her mother and tried her best to pit her father against her mother.  She was jealous of her older sister, Margot, who received her mother’s praise constantly for her “good” behavior.  She spoke her mind freely and did her best to antagonize the others who were living with her.  I’m sure her mother wanted to wring her neck on more than one occasion.

There were many living in horrible conditions during this time period that we never hear anything about, so what makes her so noteworthy? Her attitude about life and people make her a remarkable human being.  One of her most memorable statements is, “The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God.  Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be.”  How many of us feel sorry for ourselves, hide from the world, or respond in other negative ways whenever we have feelings of anxiety, loneliness, and unhappiness?  I know I am guilty of that myself.  If we can just learn to put things into perspective and trust God with our mess, we can have a peace that only comes from Him.

Her father, the only family member to survive, revisited the attic after the war and was given her diary by the people who helped him and his family hide.  Understandably, he was feeling a little bitter toward life and the way things had turned out.  Only after sitting in the attic and reading through her diary did he feel ashamed of his attitude.  He knew he must let the world read her words when he read, “…in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.” There she was trapped like a rat, and she could still see the good in people.

If the same thing happened to us, how many of us would spend our energy being bitter and seeking revenge?  We seek revenge when people cut us off in traffic and allow the smallest things to just ruin our day.  Over two years of her life were “ruined” just to be ended at the young age of 16, and yet she never gave voice to revenge or bitterness.  She was able to find value in all that happened to her and leave that story for the world to read.

She was a remarkable young lady and a wonderful example to all of us.  She is one of the real heroes of this world.  Whenever I feel like life is not going the way it ought to go, I think of her.

Blessings,
Penny