altitude

School is invariably stimulating.

A sweeping generalisation, I know. But week by week, when I'm along at the Primary School to share in their assemblies, I'm always quite struck by the things that the Head is saying.

The 'value' this month is along the lines of having a positive attitude. Something like that.

And he had a great quote to go with it -

"Your attitude determines your altitude."

Which you have to read quite carefully if your eyesight's not 100%. Mine obviously isn't, as I had to read it twice (I read it first time round as Your attitude determines your attitude).

Attitude is everything.

I chatted with the Head a bit afterwards, and asked him where he got the quote. He wasn't entirely sure. But he thought it was good. A catchy one-liner which serves him well in promoting these values each month.

It's not all that dissimilar to what we read in the Bible. I can do all things through him who gives me strength.

Attitude (I can) and altitude (all things) again.

Except ever so subtly different because of how it's qualified. This is not just the mantra of 'positive thinking' ('if you think you can, you can').

This is tied to a crucial relationship. I can only do all things (indeed, I can only do anything) through him who gives me strength. As Jesus himself underlined as he gave the flip-side to this - apart from Me you can do nothing.

In other words, it's actually more relationship than attitude which determines the heights to which we will rise. And though it sounds so similar, it's actually whole worlds different.

It took me the whole assembly to work that out.

It's not quite as simple as the Head was making out.

The simple three-word formula is not quite how it is: attitude-determines-altitude. It's simple, sounds good, and seems to be so obvious.

But that's not really just how it is.

Relationship is where it all begins. For relationship determines perspective: perspective determines attitude: and attitude, in the context of that very basic, continued relationship, then determines altitude.

In other words, the quote cuts a few too many corners, and misses out the essence of it all. Which is pretty much how any heresy starts!

That's not to say I'm not all in favour of promoting a positive attitude. Don't get me wrong.

It's just to say that attitude is not where it starts. It starts with our relationship with Jesus Christ.

That's where everything starts.