Things to Remember About a Bad Attitude

Philippians 2:14-15 Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

Hebrews 13:15 – By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of [our] lips giving thanks to his name.

Bad attitude! Attitude, attitude. I don’t like your attitude! I heard that plenty as a child. I’m positive it was true; my attitude frequently stunk. I have to admit I was an eye roller. Yech, I can’t stand when my kids roll their eyes at me now, but boy, did I dish that out when I was young. I’m sure I drove my parents and teachers crazy. I bet some of you did, too. As adults, we’re able to mask the eye roll…usually. But you know there are times when inside of us where no one else can see, our eyes are spinning around like mad. We just learn to hide our bad attitude a little better, don’t we?

Some people don’t hide it, though. How about that friend on Facebook who posts every ailment she has at least eight times a day? Or the one who complains about her husband or about her kids…or about her job? Constantly. That can really wear a person down.

Then, there are the people you work with. You know the ones I mean – those who grumble and complain all the time. One attitude that really kind of makes me giggle is the one where someone responds with, “What’s good about it?” when you greet them with, “Good morning!” Have you heard that one? Have you said it? I hope not.

As a middle school teacher, I certainly deal with bad attitudes every day, especially with 6^th and 7^th grade girls. Thinking back, I’m pretty sure when that’s when my youth eye rolls began. Apparently, things haven’t changed much for middle school girls.

It’s important to remember we can’t control other people’s attitudes; we can only control our own. Don’t let your attitude reflect those negative people in the way you respond to them. Instead, let your reaction reflect God. What would it look like from the outside if you truly strove to reflect Christ’s attitude? How would people see you? How might that affect them?

And what would it look like on the inside? Deep inside of you? How might you feel if you truly remembered the scripture – Philippians 2:14-15 – do all things without grumbling or questioning…   can you do that? Can I? Of course we can. It just takes time and commitment.

Our second scripture today, Hebrews 13:15, calls us to continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God and constantly give thanks to his name. If we followed that scripture, there would be no room to grumble and complain even if we wanted to.

Who do we want to reflect? People who can’t find the good in a morning? Or Christ with His infinite love, compassion, and kindness? I choose Christ. Don’t you?

Today’s Prayer:
Lord, help me to reflect your attitude each moment so that I might not only know your love and grace but also share it with others who may not be aware. I give thanks for your example. Amen.

 

 

 

 

What are a few ways you keep others’ negative attitudes from bringing you down?