A man and his girlfriend were driving through a bad section of town. When they stopped for a light, some thugs forced them out of the car. One of the men drew a circle on the sidewalk.

“You stand in that circle, and if you get out, we’ll kill you,” threatened one of the thugs.

The man stood in the circle. The thugs started beating all the glass out of the man’s car. Then they kicked both sides in, and used a knife to cut up the interior. One of the thugs asked the man’s girlfriend for a date. Amazingly, she consented and gave him her phone number.

“Now for you buddy,” said the thug as he held a knife to the man’s throat. “Give me all your money.”

The man reached in his pocket and gave the thug all his money, with a smile beaming on his face. Then he started laughing.

“What’s wrong with you, man?” asked one of his assailants. “We wrecked your car, took your money, and even made a date with your girlfriend. How can you stand there laughing?”

The man replied, “I got out of the circle three times, and you didn’t even notice!”

I guess it all depends on your outlook. Have you ever noticed that there are some people who can find something good in any situation? Then there are others who can find something to complain about when everything seems perfect. If you have the joy of the Lord in your heart, even when everything around you seems to go wrong, you will still have peace.

Psalms 16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.