attitude

Attitude’s Cradle of Forgiveness

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ForgivenessWinston Churchill was right when he said, “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”  For better or worse, your attitude has life-changing potential.

Some people have never looked at life through rose-colored glasses; instead, they seem to be prone to a negative bias. On the other hand, there are some who find the silver-lining in every cloud.  The difference between the two is Churchill’s little thing.

This is even true with the way people read the Bible.  Some people are more apt to see a negative theme when a verse is every bit as ripe with a positive principle.

A case in point is the New Testament principle of sowing and reaping. Stated in a few words it says that you will reap what you sow. Far too many people try to put just a negative emphasis on this passage when it is positively pregnant with potential.

Newton’s cradle is a good demonstration of the principle of sowing and reaping.  Newton posited that “action and reaction are equal and opposite.”  When one ball is released (action), a ball from the opposite side swings out in equal distance (reaction).

Jesus used this principle in a discussion of forgiveness:  Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you (Luke 6:38).

How much different would your world be if you retrained your attitude to focus instead of the negative?

I encourage you to begin this week by sowing the positive seeds of kindness and giving the gift of forgiveness to those who have wounded you.  Ralph Waldo Emerson said:  What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

What is it that lies within you?  It’s your attitude and the potential to love others as Christ loves you.  I encourage you to give some thought to Paul’s exhortation to the church at Rome:

Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality. Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody. Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.” Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good (The Message).

The Game of Life

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disappointWhen I turned on the TV and tuned in to watch the Packers and Falcons, I was expecting to watch an entertaining and competitive game of football—I was disappointed.  When it came time for the second game between the Steelers and the Patriots, I was confident the game would be much better than the earlier fiasco—I was wrong.

While the games were minor disappointments to me, I have learned that Mr. Disappoint is a frequent visitor to some and he presents himself in different forms.  To correctly identify this culprit, think of him as a PUNT which is usually the result of a frustrated effort on the gridiron:

  • People are culprits who can disappoint.

The minds of some people are laced with memories that are full of disappointment.  These are recollections of the past when they feel as though the people whom they cared for the most could not have cared for them less.

  • Unrealistic expectations can deceive and disappoint

Sometimes we place people on pedestals and we are disappointed when they do not live up to our expectations. There are other times when a tendency toward self-perfection will lead us to be disappointed in our own accomplishments.

  • Networks will disappoint you.

Some networks consist of a complicated grid of wires and electronics; others are a complex meshwork of emotions. The latter can be frustrating because it’s full of people and their passions that conflict with ours.  When you’re involved in an organization, whether it is faith-based, educational, or work-related, you take the risk of being disappointed—one or all of these can falter in its potential or fail to keep a promise.

  • Transitions will disappoint you.

The one word definition for stress is transition, and the stress associated with any change can be disappointing. These life-altering occasions force us to make changes that move us out of our comfort zone and reshape our daily routine.

When we have been PUNTED, and we experience a let down in one of these areas, it helps to refocus:

  • Face the fact: No one is perfect. Disappointment is as old as Adam and Eve and their disobedience in the Garden of Eden. There simply is not a person alive who will be able to fulfill all of your dream.
  • Forgive and release it. Resentment is the rope with which you hang yourself. We need to, Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled (Hebrews 12:14-15).

We may not be responsible for the circumstances of life, but we are responsible for the way we respond to them.  Emotions and attitudes are the responsibility of the individual, and when God is added to the equation of life our perspective can become more positive:

Though the fig tree does not bud

and there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails

and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen

and no cattle in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the LORD.

I will be joyful in God my Savior

~Habakkuk: 3:17-18

Feeling Overwhelmed and Under-Qualified?

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o-NEGATIVE-PEOPLE-facebookThis has been a tough week.  It hasn’t been so bad for me personally, but life had gotten out of hand for a handful of people. It seemed that their “can do” couldn’t “do,” and their “will to do” simply wasn’t “willing to do.”

Each of them had faced a daunting circumstance that had rained on their parade.  Because of this, they were drained physically, a wreck emotionally, and they were anemic spiritually.

When life gets you down and you’re ready to throw in towel, don’t quit.  Try to reframe your circumstances and get a fresh perspective:

  • Tap into your pool of resources. Call a friend, a family member, or your pastor, and share your heart with them.
  • Grab your Bible and read the Psalms. Learn from David and the many trials he faced.
  • Take control of your thoughts. Don’t let the Grinch of negativity determine your course in life. Since you can’t think two thoughts at the same time, replace the negative with a positive.

Before you quit, remember you’re more than adequate in Jesus Christ:

  • Embrace the “CAN DO” promise of Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
  • Remember THE Author has AUTHORIZED you, QUALIFIED you, and He is ALWAYS with you. Jesus said: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:18-20).”
  • Grasp the fact that you have the POWER to PERFORM: Jesus said: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me (Acts 1:8).”

Before you quit, remember that the CHOOSER has CHOSEN you: You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit ~John 15:16

Have You Met The New You?

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newuI have never found evidence of the long-sought after fountain of youth, but I do know that Paul wrote to the Ephesians about renewal:

If you have heard Jesus and have been taught by Him according to the truth that is in Him,  then you know to take off your former way of life, your crumpled old self—that dark blot of a soul corrupted by deceitful desire and lust— to take a fresh breath and to let God renew your attitude and spirit.  Then you are ready to put on your new self, modeled after the very likeness of God: truthful, righteous, and holy.                  ~Ephesians 2:21-24

Paul says you have the opportunity to get rid of the old, step into a new life, and take a fresh breath of life.  Spiritual renewal shapes you into the “likeness of God,” and you begin to realize that you are:

You’re not a crumpled model of this old world; you’ve been freshly fashioned in the likeness of Jesus, and this is why you:

Forget your former way of life, “that dark blot of a soul corrupted by deceitful desire and lust.”  Embrace the new you.  It’s time to “take a fresh breath and to let God renew your attitude and spirit.”

The Mumble and Grumble of Whinersville

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grouchI had to get my atlas out last night to make sure I wasn’t lost.  It seemed like whether I was listening to my radio, watching TV, or reading the newspaper, people were whining:  “I deserve this,” or “I didn’t deserve that!”  I thought I had been mysteriously transported to Whinersville.

Whining, mumbling, and grumbling is a worldwide problem of epidemic proportions.  Europe, South America, Asia, Canada, and the good old USA are afflicted with this debilitating attitude.

This must be a centuries old problem because both Peter and Paul said  people should be careful about the expression of their attitude:

  • Peter said we should, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling (I Peter 4:9).”
  • Paul said to, “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation (Philippians 2:14-15).”

Before you complain to God, and say:  “This is something I don’t deserve.” Think about it.  Do you really want Him to serve you a plateful of what you deserve? When God fills my plate, I’m like a child:  I want a tiny portion of the Brussel sprouts of His judgment and heaping-helpings of His mercy-filled dips of mashed taters and cream gravy.  I never want what I deserve—the wilting heat of His anger.  I’d much rather bask in the Son-shine of His forgiveness.

Like David, we can find comfort in the loving nature of God and shout: “Lord, You are good and ready to forgive; and, Your abundant loyal love flows generously over all who cry out to You . . . guide me along Your path, so that I will live in Your truth (Psalm 86:10-11).”  Even whiners grow mute and their grumbles are silenced when they turn their thoughts to God’s “abundant loyal love.”

Gratitude: Is It the Main Course or a Side Dish?

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imagesOn Thursday of this week we will observe a day of Thanksgiving; however, the spiritual discipline of giving thanks was practiced long before the Pilgrims found their way into the pages of history.

As you mull the meaning of thankfulness,  give more than just a wink of contemplation to the contrast below:

  • Psalm 50:23: He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me.
  • Romans 1:21: Although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
  • One focuses on solemn reflection leading to respect, while the other speaks of rejection and neglect

When you consider the knee-buckling-goodness of God, your response should be more than a blasé yawn—it should be shout-it-from-the-mountain-top-gratitude.

Henri Nouwen has said, “The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy.”

Gratitude and thanksgiving are like identical twins–they are so similar it can be difficult to distinguish between the two.  Gratitude is the manifestation of kindness perceived, and thanksgiving is the expression of kindness received.

Paul encourages us to abound in thanksgiving:  “As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,  rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving (Colossians 2:6-7).”80506764d4f9bef09a9cd171e8a6bf24

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul expresses his gratitude and unabashed appreciation:  “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now (Philippians 1:3–5).”

What stirs a sense of gratitude and thanksgiving in your heart?  Have you called the person or written them a letter to express your appreciation?  Why not do it now?

The Secret of Joy

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How would you feel if you were separated from your family and friends; punished for doing what is right; living your life to the best of your ability; and, thrown in jail? I’m not sure how I would react, but I do know what Paul did, He said we should “rejoice.”

Paul maintained an attitude of joy and contentment in a life that was often characterized by difficult circumstances.

In the midst of a difficult period in his life, Nehemiah reminded his followers that “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Instead of taking a short-sighted view of life, Nehemiah challenged the people to see God’s presence, perceive His power, and to focus on His plan for their lives.

When things in your life are not going as you planned, remember that God has a timetable for you. Sometimes you may not understand the bumps in the road or the slow pace of the uncertainties, but God is still working, and He is executing His plan for the greatest good of all.

While speaking about Moses, Chuck Swindoll once said: When you trust the Lord to give you the next step, when you wait in humility upon Him, He will open the doors or close them, and you’ll get to rest and relax until He says ‘Go.” This was a guiding principle of Paul, and it is why he rejoiced even while in prison.

And, this is the secret of joy.