ATTITUDE ✔️

“She felt like doing her part to change the world, so she started by giving thanks for all the blessings in her life, rather than bemoaning all that was missing from it. Then she complimented her reflection in the mirror, instead of criticizing it as she usually did. Next she walked into her neighborhood and offered her smile to everyone she passed, whether or not they offered their’s to her. Each day she did these things, and soon they became habits. Each day she lived with more gratitude, more acceptance, more kindness, and sure enough, the world around her began to change, because she had decided so, she was single-handedly doing her part to change it!” 

I don’t know the original author of this story, but a precious friend posted this on her Facebook page this morning! It really struck my heart, not just because it’s encouraging and spurs me on to ✔️ my own attitudes about life, but this dear friend has experienced the hardship of taking care of a husband who was seriously ill and in and out of the hospital for many years and then losing him and having to raise an 8th grade son alone!

Through it all, even though it was devastating and heart wrenching, she was always the one encouraging everyone else and never failed to make people around her laugh, and I mean belly laugh! I know she had many times where she just wanted to give up and just crawl in a hole and stay there, but she did the things this story talked about and slowly but ever so surely, she changed her attitude about life and that changed her world!!

So what’s my excuse for having a bad attitude? What’s our excuse for negative or critical thinking which leads to negative and critical words, which can lead to some pretty yucky behavior and consequences? We are talking some pretty serious badittudes!

The definition of attitude is: “A manner of thinking, feeling, or behaving that reflects a state of mind or disposition: a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a persons behavior. A predisposition or tendency to respond positively or negatively”. What’s your tendency? Do you naturally respond positively or negatively to the events that life brings you?

So where do our attitutudes come from? Sometimes we grow up and take on certain attitudes of our parents, both good and bad, sometimes we experience disappointments, rejection, loss or hurts that cause us to develop certain negative attitudes. If we are not careful, these negative and critical thoughts will go from being thoughts in our mind to being rooted in our heart! The Word of God tells us:

What we allow to get into our heart literally shapes and forms the person we are or become! I don’t know about you, but that scares the bejeebers out of me! It makes me want to stop dead in my tracks and really evaluate those thoughts/attitudes that have infiltrated my heart!

Now we all can have days where our attitudes are not what they should be! Our morning starts with the alarm not going off, the kids are grumpy, someone cuts you off in traffic, we spill our coffee on our new blouse, you get behind someone at the checkout buying 50 $5.00 gift certificates at Walmart Mart (yes this REALLY happened to me), you busted it to fix dinner and no one is home to eat it and on and on with the stuff life brings! It’s ok to cop a bit of an attitude on days like that but if we are not careful, our thoughts can turn into this:

“I’m so sick of these kids always being grumpy in the mornings! Can’t believe they are so ungrateful and don’t appreciate anything I do for them!”

“I’m so sick of having to get up and go to work! This job doesn’t pay enough and they don’t even appreciate all my hard work!”

“I can’t believe how many people are horrible drivers! No one watches out for anyone else but themselves!”

“I can’t believe how selfish people are! Don’t they know there are people behind them in line who need to hurry up and get home!  There are so few considerate people in this world”

You see how a few unfortunate circumstances can turn into broad based bad attitudes that will cause you to generalize very specific and situational thoughts and turn them into negative attitudes that go deep into your heart and shape the kind of person you are! WE ARE WHAT WE THINK! And like Shakira says “Hips don’t lie”, our LIPS DONT LIE!! We can’t hide what’s really in our ❤️!

Soooooooo it’s time to STOP and really begin asking the Lord if there are any attitudes in our hearts that are negatively affecting us, our behavior and or the people around us! I know for me I have struggled with a “BADITTUDE” about the city I have moved to this past year! I’ve moaned and complained about the traffic, bad drivers, unfriendly people, the BIG bugs and high humidity! Thankfully the Holy Spirit nailed me on that a few of months ago and showed me that my critical attitude was affecting those I love the most! I have made a conscious effort to guard my heart and my tongue! I’m still not there 100%, but I’ve come a long way baby!

There are so many Scriptures that address our attitude in our thoughts and words! Philippians 4:8 talks about how me must think about things that are noble, true, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy! Well that pretty much makes it clear that all that other stinkin thinkin has no place in the life of a lover of God!

The most powerful Scripture about our words is found in Proverbs 18:21:

“THE TONGUE CAN BRING DEATH OR LIFE; THOSE WHO LOVE TO TALK WILL REAP THE CONSEQUENCES.”

That is sobering and we carry a HUGE responsibility to keep our attitudes and our words positive, encouraging and full of hope, faith and love! We can speak life to those around us or let our negative attitudes and words bring death and destruction!

I think where we get tripped up is we speak BEFORE we think! I remember when one of my kids was in High School and they knew just what to say to push my buttons which caused me to lash out with words that were unkind, unloving and very ungodly! I got so weary of this constant battle of attitudes and words! One day I pleaded with the Lord to help me put a guard on my mouth! Psalm 141:3 says: “Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips!” With God’s help and my determination to be a godly example to my child, my lashing out stopped and soon after so did the button pushing!

But even more important than just controlling what we say, it is crucial to ask the Lord to search our hearts, for it is there that destructive attitudes live, grow, fester and defile us to the very core of who we are! Pray these Scriptures to insure that our hearts stay pure and positive!

“SEARCH ME, OH GOD, AND KNOW MY HEART; TRY ME, AND KNOW MY THOUGHTS.” Psalm 139:23”

“GOD, CREATE A PURE HEART IN ME, AND RENEW A RIGHT ATTITUDE WITHIN ME!” Psalm 51:10 ISV

We all know people with positive attitudes! Jesus was our GREATEST example! Even as He faced relentless persecution, excruciating suffering and finally a brutal death, His attitude remained loving, kind and compassionate. We have His Spirit within us that can empower us to keep our thoughts, words and deeds worthy of our calling as sons and daughters of God!

So on this first day of ❤️ month, I’m committing to doing an ATTITUDE ✔️! Will you join me? Ask God to reveal any badittudes you may have, especially those that are really causing damage to those around you or things that are ruining your witness as believers! I know having a negative or critical attitude can also affect our health and it just plain drags everyone down!

The fruits of a pure heart and positive thoughts and words are a closer relationship with the Lord, our families and friends,  better health, fruitfulness in our jobs, ministries, peace of heart and mind, joy, contentment and the list goes on and on!

We can’t always change the circumstances around us, we can’t always change what others think or how they behave but we can change our words, thoughts and attitudes and subsequently what we let get into our hearts! Let’s choose LIFE! Let’s change our attitude and just maybe we can change our world! 🌎☀️

FATHER GOD, SOME OF OUR ATTITUDES ARE NOT PLEASING TO YOU! FORGIVE US FOR LETTING OUR FLESH RESPOND TO THE FRUSTRATIONS AND TRIALS OF OUR LIVES! SEARCH OUR HEARTS O GOD AND REVEAL ANY AREA THAT IS NOT LINING UP WITH YOUR WORD AND YOUR CHARACTER! WE LONG TO BE A LIGHT AND A WITNESS FOR YOU AND CAN NOT DO THAT EFFECTIVELY IF WE HAVE THE ATTITUDES OF THE WORLD! WE COMMIT TO BEING INTENTIONAL ABOUT THE THOUGHTS WE HAVE AND THE WORDS WE SPEAK! MAY THE WORLD KNOW WE ARE YOURS BY OUR ATTITUDES! THANK YOU THAT WE DON’T HAVE TO DO THIS IN OUR OWN STRENGTH! IT’S NOT BY MIGHT, NOT BY POWER, BUT BY YOUR SPIRIT WE CAN SUCCEED! FOR YOUR GLORY LORD THAT WE MAY KNOW YOU AND MAKE YOU KNOWN! IN JESUS MIGHTY NAME! AMEN

Love Always,

Tarabella

John 3:30