Attitude is Everything!

According to the dictionary, 'attitude' is described as: manner, disposition, feeling, or position, with regard to a person or thing. I think of 'attitude' as the expression of our feelings towards a person, thing, or event.

And the one thing everyone can agree on is this:

We have CONTROL over our attitudes.

We are the only ones.

According to Charles Swindoll, "The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people say or think or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a school, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past, we cannot change the fact that people will act a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes!"

God Almighty knew what He was doing when He gave us free will-- He gave us the opportunity and privilege to choose how we will live our life. This is why there are words like optimist, pessimist, negative, positive... We get to pick. 

Have you ever started your morning off rough? Have you rushed around, forgot important papers, dumped coffee down the front of you... and this started your day off horribly. So, you have a bad attitude the rest of the day. You're unhappy. You're miserable. You just want to go home. Everyone is on your nerves. BUT one good thing happens-- something makes you laugh, you win $10 on a scratch off, someone pays for your meal... And your attitude shifts. That negative, nasty attitude flies out the window, and you're back to that peaceful, happy nature.

We CAN change our attitudes. We do not have to live grumpy, miserable lives. 

Bad things are going to happen. We might as well accept it now. That will make it easier when they come. And that will give us a more positive attitude when the bad things do present themselves. We can say 'Oh well, I knew they would come eventually..." 

One of my other favorite quotes says, “In this life we are all just walking up the mountain and we can sing as we climb or we can complain about our sore feet. Whichever we choose, we still gotta do the hike. I decided a long time ago singing made a lot more sense.” Life is a journey. It is full of hills and valleys.. .ups and downs. We are all just trucking along together. And guess what? We can complain the entire journey. We can whine because we didn't get what we want. We can complain because someone else's journey appears easier. OR we can sing through the highs and lows. 

We HAVE to go through good times and bad times. That is life. It won't perfect for all of us, all of the time.... so if we HAVE to go through them, we might as well SING through them! We might as well have a positive attitude through them. There's no reason to struggle and be miserable at the same time. 

I know, I know... it is hard at times. Trust me, I've been there! When our daughter was diagnosed with Autism, I couldn't see any goodness at all. All I saw was pain and misery. I felt guilt and abandonment. I felt anger and disbelief. I felt bitterness and terror. I couldn't see anything good in that moment... 

But you know what? I HAD to go through it. We HAD to go through it. It was in the cards God Almighty dealt.If this cup wasn't going to pass from our family, I had to stop with the whiny, angry attitude and say, 'Nevertheless Jesus, Thy Will be done." It is all in our attitude. 

Our attitude defines our journey.

What is your attitude speaking to those observing your journey right now?

Do they see a miserable, sad person? Do they see a pessimist? Do they see someone unhappy with everything? Do they see someone that constantly complains?

Or do they see someone who is content? An optimist? Someone sees that bright side regardless of how dark the situation? Do they hear someone speaking words of life? 

Philippians 2:5 states, "You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had." (NLT)

An attitude of love- of mercy- of grace- of patience- of self-control- of peace- of content. 

Romans 14:17-18 says, "For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too."

Living a life of goodness, peace, and joy---- THIS is the attitude that please God!

I know personally, I have struggled with needing an attitude adjustment for quite awhile! I was the Queen of misery. I would immediately get frustrated or aggravated if one thing went wrong in the morning. It was a horrible way to live-- and a stressful way! No wonder I never felt good!

Are you in the same boat as me? Do you desperately want to quit complaining? To stop being miserable? To see the glass half full? To stop letting little things get you down?

Ephesians chapter 4 says, "Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy." (NLT)

God, help us to realize the necessity of a life of prayer! Help us to realize our need to ask for forgiveness for our old human nature--- the person that complains all of the time, the person that hates, the person that cannot find love, the person that lives in fear, the person that lets wrath and bitterness control their lives. And help us to pray for a new nature-- to be like You. Help us to pray for our thoughts and attitudes-- that they will be renewed in YOU.

Joel Osteen once said, "If you want to be happy, you have to be happy on purpose. When you wake up, you can't just wait to see what kind of day you'll have. You have to decide what kind of day you'll have." It is that simple. 

I know we can say 'But look- you don't know what I'm going through right now..' 'You don't know what I've been through..' and that's true, none of us do. But what I can tell you is this-- you are going to go through what you are facing right now regardless. Wouldn't you rather be at peace and happy during the trial instead of being miserable and angry? 

We are all going to face hard times.

Some of us will be still in Christ. Some of us will rest through the struggles. Some of us will laugh and heal from that laughter.

And some of us will be angry at God. Some of us will lose sleep at night. Some of us will be angry and make our souls even sicker during the struggle. 

The point is: It is OUR choice.

No one else's.

What will be your decision today?