Some time ago, a man came to Norman Vincent Peale to share with him the problems of his life. The man was the manager of a hotel. He had a nervous breakdown early in his life, and he was afraid that he was about to have another one. He began to share all of his problems and his burdens with Dr. Peale. The more he shared those problems and burdens, the more uptight he became. After a while, Dr. Peale said to the man, “I tell you what we should do. Let’s stop talking about this and that and so, and instead, I want you to think about God for a few moments. I want you to tell me what you think God is like.”
Bit by bit the man shifted his thinking from all of his problems, from all of his anxieties, all of his worries to God. He began to talk about the kind of person he thought God was, and the kind of things he thought God could do. As he talked, there came over him a sense of peace and tranquility, and Dr. Peale called his attention to it. He said, “Have you noticed what happened to you when we stopped talking about all of your problems and we started thinking about God? Let me give you some good advice. Center your thoughts on God before you lose yourself in your difficulties.”
It was some time later when Dr. Peale met the owner of that hotel. The owner said to him, “What did you do to my manager?” Dr. Peale replied, “What do you mean?” The owner answered, “He’s a different man. His whole life has been changed. He has a zest for life, a new joy in life, and he has found new meaning in life.”
Dr. Peale met with the hotel manager again and said to him, “Tell me how it has been with your life.” The manager said, “My life has been transformed. When I learned to stop focusing on my problems and started thinking about God, there came into my life a sense of peace that I had not known before.”