YOUR ATTITUDE MAKES A DIFFERENCE

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praise-worthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:4-9).

Thirty-year-old Jane, from Zanesville, OH, whose stage name was “Nightbirde,” had stage 4 cancer with a 2 percent chance of survival. She went to America’s Got Talent on her own, after a year of struggling to get well. As Howie Mandel questioned her about her life and her hopes and dreams, it was revealed that she was still very sick with cancer in her lungs, spine, and liver. Her beautiful smile and glowing demeanor made it impossible, however, to know what she was going through. When Howie said, “So, you’re not ok,” she responded, “Well, not in every way, no. But it’s important for people to know that there’s much more to me than the bad things that happen to me.” She sang a powerful original song she wrote, titled “It’s Ok,” with her beautiful voice that spoke to her resilience and refusal to give up on living life with joy. Simon Cowell, who was choking up with tears and obviously very touched by her courageous, beautiful performance, said, “This is the moment we needed, and I’m not going to give you a yes. I’m going to give you something else.” Then he went over to the golden buzzer and pushed it, and all the golden confetti shot in the air. Had she not passed away beforehand, she would have gone on to the live shows thanks to Simon Cowell's Golden Buzzer! He went up to her on stage, hugged her, and said, “Everything about that was so special.” Julie and I had the privilege and pleasure of watching her performance on TV that night back in summer of 2021. For me, the most powerful and spot-on message she communicated was when she said, "You can't wait until life is not hard anymore before you decide to be happy."

Everything doesn’t always go our way, and life isn’t always easy, but let’s remember the Apostle Paul’s words…written while he was in prison…”Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

Tyler

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