Attitude: n. a way of thinking, acting, or feeling; manner, or behavior of a person toward a situation or cause.
What the above definition of “attitude” shows is that our attitude can be positive or negative. It all depends on the person and their perspective. You can have a positive attitude about yourself that comes across as confident, or you can have an over inflated attitude about yourself that comes across as arrogant and prideful. Here you have two different outcomes fueled strictly by that person’s way of thinking. You could also say that our “attitude” is part of our soul, and therefore has a lot to do with our every day lives, and that is serious stuff.
How many of you have ever prayed for God to change a situation that was hard? Show of hands please. Okay, I see we have a full house here. It is common place for us to want God to change that which is hard or uncomfortable in our lives. Especially change the people who add to the hardship or drama we want to be released from. I’m sure wives have been asking the Lord to change their husbands since Eve. Do you think Adam might have been a little pissed with her? I am willing to take a wild guess that he was. I say that because he tried to put the blame on her and God, “It was that woman you gave me!” In a flash Eve found herself going from riches to rags with a husband who now had a sin nature and a bunch of issues that all we humans have to deal with in this flesh. I’m sure she had many a conversation with God about Adam; especially after she got past the fact he tried to pin his sin on her. ~Smile~
If we were all in a room together I wonder how many hands would fly up when asked, “How many of you have asked God for a new boss or job?” Probably most of us in the room would have a hand up. And that’s a real life situation, because we are not trying to be unhappy and miserable. That goes against our sin nature, which is “Me, Me, Me and more Me!” So even if that uncomfortable place we find ourselves in is necessary for growth or a benefit to someone else, we still want out!
How many of you have had to be the one to make a change? Not your husband, not your boss, not the neighbors from hell, not a new job, not a different position, nothing changed in your circumstances at all, other than your attitude? No need to raise your hand, because most of us have been there and done that! Was that what we were hoping for? Nope. Why not? Because like the little children we can be, we want God to fix it for us. That’s the simple truth, like it or not. How often have we as His children used the scripture “No weapon formed against me shall prosper” when it comes to us expecting our Father to deal swiftly with that which is interfering with our being comfortable? Probably more times than we want to admit to, but that is okay, because anyone who has walked with the Lord even for just a little while has probably stepped into that hole once or twice. So, don’t be embarrassed by it, in fact look for the humor in it. I’m sure God does. As any parent He must find humor in some of the stuff we try to pull. Does He let us get away with it? Well, He does blink at babies and newborns, but some of us are way too old (in the Lord) to still be trying to get away with some of the things we do.
Many times in life’s trials and tribulations it is our attitudes that must change in order for the situation to take a turn for the better. That boss, who on certain days has the potential to be as irritating as a hemorrhoid, is more than likely not going to change for the better, but an attitude shift on our part can turn things around for us. Simply by doing things God’s way. For one, start by praying for the person, not against them or about them, but for them. Stop complaining about them and talking about the wrongs they have inflicted on you. Sometimes we do need to talk about a situation or vent, but that is different than complaining. Complaining is talking about the situation to whoever will listen and rehearsing the same things over and over. Venting is talking about what happened, sorting it out and moving over in your mind (or changing of your attitude) to see things from God’s perspective, which is the Bible. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, be kind and generous to those who misuse you. Yeah, the kind of stuff that makes our flesh rebel. Our flesh doesn’t want to pray for people who are not nice or don’t appreciate us! Our flesh wants to be like David in Psalm 55:15a, Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell. Oh yeah, we want God to get them! But we need to resist the temptation to give into our flesh and choose instead to praise God for the job we were given and stop the complaints. We all have lessons to learn in this life, and we generally achieve that through interactions with others. If you find that wherever you go you are encountering the same kind of problems, there is a good chance it is all about you. Especially when it comes to jobs and bosses, we as people have a tendency to want to run. But the bottom line is, no matter how much we try to get away from what God has for us to learn, we cannot. We can only prolong the inevitable.
Wives, when it comes to that particular thing about your husband that irks you to no end, and in your heart of hearts you feel it should be irking God too, I encourage you to take a look and see if maybe your attitude about the whole thing is what’s really irking God. ~Smile~
Attitudes are everything. Take for instance the holiday season that is upon us. My personal attitude is, I’m not spending money I don’t have, and I’m not buying stuff just because of one day. Do I enjoy the decorations, music and festive time with family and friends? Yes, I love it! But I can shop and spend money any time of the year (especially when I have it), send you a card just because I was thinking about you and so forth and so on. The blessing for me is that my attitude keeps me focused on all that is good and I’m not sad or miserable because I don’t have money to buy this that or the other. But let’s take a look at the person who is actually depressed due to the down turned economy which is preventing them from producing all that their kids are expecting for Christmas. Or even the person who has young children (who don’t really have a clue) but they think that buying a bunch of stuff will make their kids happy, and since they don’t have that kind of money, they are experiencing feelings that they are not good parents. But all they have to do is change their attitude about the holidays and what they really mean, and the self inflicted pressure would be off and spirits lifted. A shift in our attitude (mindset, thinking) can take us from sad, miserable and depressed to joyous, light hearted and uplifted. So often it really is as simple as just changing our way of looking at things that makes a huge difference.
What’s your attitude been like lately? Has it been one that is pleasing to our Father? Has it been oozing the love and light of Jesus (Yeshua)? Has it been an encouragement to others to be positive with uplifted spirits? Or has it been such that when others see your name on the caller ID they say, “Oh let it go to voice mail?” Is your boss complaining about you? Again, “What has your attitude been like lately?”
A pleasing attitude to God is one that is grateful and finds the good in the life you have. Nothing on this earth is perfect and never will be, but there is good in the God that we serve and if nothing else we should spend time doing what Philippians 4:8 tells us to do, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” We cannot think about that which is pure, good and lovely and complain or be upset at the same time. It is either going to be one or the other. So for the last time, “How’s your attitude?”
I pray I have encouraged you to take a look at any situation in your life that might be changed
by an attitude adjustment. It can be something really simple or something that puts you to your knees, either way it is all good. Change is not always something we easily embrace, but it is so very necessary in the life of the Believer. So, make the decision to follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit of God and make whatever shift in your attitude He shows you.
****** SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT******
Starting January 1, 2010, the format and name of this blog will be changing to something new and exciting, “The Kitchen Table”. Blogs will be posted Monday thru Saturday of each week. Wow, I know what you are thinking, “There is no way I can read a blog everyday!” Welcome to my world, neither can I, but the beauty of this new format is that different women will be blogging about different life experiences. I’m sure there is going to be something for everyone. You just follow the blog topics that interest you. Are you a homeschooling mom or thinking about it? Then you will love Cheryl Mackey’s bimonthly blog as she journals her first year of homeschooling. Rise’ Whampler is a mother of 11 and she and her husband homeschool them all. She is going to have a lot to say about family, which will bring laughter and tears, as she gives you an up close and personal look at having such a large adopted family. For all you single working mothers out there, Michele Cousins’ blog is designed to encourage you through the ups and downs of single parenting. Other blog topics include Women and their finances, Health & Beauty, Married Women, Blended Families, Words of Wisdom, Life Unscripted and so much more. We even have a couple of teens blogging once a month. Yes, even our young women have much to say too.
Please take a peek at our website (still under construction) home page at, daughtersofthemosthigh.com, to see all the beautiful sisters who will be encouraging you each month and some of the other wonderful things we have on the horizon.
For those of you who are fans of this blog, “Straight from the Heart” will be coming back every Wednesday, on February 3, 2010, with a new blog address. My bimonthly blog on The Kitchen Table will focus on, “The glorious life of single women.” ~Smile~ I just need a little time off from Straight from the Heart to make sure all is running smoothly at The Kitchen Table.
For the next three weeks I will send out updates on our upcoming January 1, 2010 premiere.
Please keep your sisters from The Kitchen Table in prayer as we take on this new venture of encouraging each other via the media tools of cyber space. Only God Himself knows where He plans to lead us in all of this, but we are very excited to be going along for the ride.
My dear sisters as always it has been such a delight to talk with you, and I pray you are encouraged to make changes where necessary so that your life reflects the abundance that Jesus came to give us on this earth. And a happy and uplifted heart is part of the abundance package.
May your holidays be filled with laughter and love.
Blessings & Love
Ponnie
