Faith along the way

Recently, the Lord convicted me regarding an attitude I had, an attitude I shouldn’t have had, that was affecting my behavior. An attitude can be how we behave toward something or how we view it; an attitude can indicate our mood or emotion; an attitude can be a feeling toward a person or situation. Ultimately, our attitude can affect others…how we treat them, how we respond to them, how we make them feel. Often, we think our attitude is just that…our attitude, but honestly, our attitude really does affect those around us. We are not an island unto ourselves. We come in contact with people every day in many various situations: in the workplace, in the grocery store, at church, in restaurants, at the gym, even at home. We are in constant contact with people and relate to people and with people daily.

Attitudes can be contagious. For example, have you ever gotten to work, and a coworker was in a very bad mood? You were in a pretty good mood, but being around that person all day started your own bad mood; or have you been in a very good mood, smiling and courteous to those around you, and you see that it has affected others, and they began smiling as well? Contagious. I chose the cover photo for that reason. Left on its own, our bad attitude can spill over to someone we are talking to on the phone, or someone who just happens to cross our path.

This attitude of mine, the one the Lord convicted me of, was not pleasing to Him. It was not indicative of who I am in Christ, and the Lord was not having it. It was mostly internal but left alone could develop into a pattern of behavior that would affect others and also affect my witness for Christ. I am working on this and asking the Lord to help me put this away.

Being a Christian does not mean we are perfect; doesn’t mean we never struggle with sin. We are on a journey to become more and more like our Lord. It is a daily struggle, a daily battle, and thankfully we have the power of the Holy Spirit helping us along the way. I am so thankful for the convicting power of the Holy Spirit Who makes it known to me when I sin, and so thankful the Lord is quick to forgive me when I confess the sin and repent as He says in Psalm 86:5.

We often think of attitude in a negative sense: anger, strife, malice, gossip, hatefulness, etc., but attitude can also be positive: kind, courteous, humble, being quick to smile, gracious, etc. Romans 12:9-21 gives us some great examples of how to behave like a Christian, including being kindly affectionate to one another. I encourage you to read this passage sometime.

Attitude is a choice. We choose the attitude in which we want to clothe ourselves in. Circumstances are not always ideal and sometimes life is tough, but we can still mind our manners, as granny would say. Think of it this way: Does the attitude I am choosing reflect who I am in Christ? If not, then we should ask the Lord to help us put that away and choose to have an attitude that pleases Him. Easier said than done, more often than not, but always worth the effort of seeking to change.

Again, I am so thankful for the convincing power of the Holy Spirit and of the fact that God loves me no matter what, and He wants His best for me. He doesn’t want me to stay in that bad attitude. He has better for me, and He has better for you.

I pray that God uses these words to bless and encourage you. His richest blessings to you,

Jackie