Attitude Check – How’s Your’s?

Philippians 2:5

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

Recently I have become more aware of my attitude and the attitude of those around me. Some may have a natural tendency to see the negative first – rather than the positive. For instance – when they arrive at home it is more natural for them to notice the lights on in rooms not being used – the TV running and no one watching – the children’s bikes in the driveway – than to notice that all the children are doing their homework – their partner busy fixing dinner – and their pet meeting them cheerfully at the door. Because this might be natural for some – it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work to overcome this tendency. Our attitudes impact people around us – our family – our co-workers – folks at church – folks at the grocery store – etc.

Throughout my ministry and my life – I have seen the impact a negative attitude can have on people – on me. Snide remarks on Facebook – in person – in an email – on the phone – can scare people and damage our witness for Christ. Some people might think their spiritual gift is to complain – to be negative – to point out to those around them the things they are doing wrong – but that one is missing from the list the Bible gives us. Some seem to see the negative first. Some see the glass half-empty. For those with these natural tendencies – the task at hand might be tougher. But – all of us should hear today’s Scripture and examine our attitudes with the attitude of Christ.

Before we make that snide comment (catching ourselves is not easy but doable) – we should ask ourselves – would Jesus say – type – post this? It might just help. The WWJD craze was something that was supposed to remind us – what would Jesus do. I’ve started wearing my bracelet again – as a simple reminder to me. It has helped some – but I still slip.

I once coined this phrase – which I got from today’s Scripture. Christianity boils down to attitude. This is not a theological statement as much as it is an acknowledgement that we can have all knowledge but without the right attitude – it could be for naught. I would think we all know people who have great Bible knowledge – a sincere love for Jesus even –but their attitude stinks – and this impairs their witness – greatly. As a pastor – I would rather have someone working in the ministry with the right attitude – who is trainable in the ways of God – than a person trained in the ways of God with a bad attitude.

Today – and for the foreseeable future – let’s work on our attitudes. Instead of looking for things to complain about – let’s look for the good in those around us and in the work that we and others are doing. I guarantee it will make things better! A good attitude goes a long way! A good attitude can cover over a multitude of mistakes – a bad attitude can destroy a lot of good works.

Just something for us to think about today as we go on our way.