“Girl you got some tude” that’s the phrase I think about when I think about attitude. I don’t know why I hear it in that voice, maybe because that is my sassy side talking. But it is definitely what I would say if someone had a bad attitude.
The word attitude is what shapes our days, the way we think and the way that we walk through our lives.
My first day of ministry in Romania was none other than… garbage picking. What I mean by that is that my team and I went around the community and picked up trash on the streets. In some cultures they do not have garbage men who come pick up their trash every week. In some countries they burn their trash and have piles of random trash in the corner of their yard.
In Cambodia sometimes I could barely even breathe because there was always some trash fumes in the air. Here people throw their trash anywhere. As my team and I traveled through Romania we drove through towns where fields were just covered in trash.
So, when my team and I were picking up trash the first day of ministry I had mixed feelings about it. Wow what a cool way to bless the community, but this won’t really make an impact we can’t even do that much, picking up trash for 4 hours that’s a longggg time, is this really ministry?
As I was walking around grabbing trash I found myself wondering when it would be over. I immediately felt bad for thinking that, because I knew that this is helping and making an impact. I’m here in Romania to bless the people and follow Gods will for me.
So during the trash pickup the Lord said “Check your Attitude Sam. Where is your attitude at?” Is it in a place where you can be joyful as you pick up trash or are you just dreading every minute. This question really made me think about times in my teenage years when my parents would say “Sam you have a bad attitude” Danggg were they right, my attitude was bad and disrespectful, bringing others down. (Sorry Mom and Dad)
Yet, attitude is everything. It really can make something that I don’t enjoy into an experience that I will remember forever. That is if my attitude is positive and life bringing. In this book my team and I are reading called Get Over Yourself, there was an exact chapter about attitude. I read this chapter two days after picking up trash and it was called “Get a new attitude.” Alright Jesus I hear ya! I guess I have to get a new attitude!
This particular part of the chapter said “An attitude is a state of mind that is formed by our thoughts and always results in a corresponding behavior…”
Okay so this is a state of mind but why is it so important?
Next Jennifer Beckham says “We become what we think about” so if your attitude is negative you become negative. If your attitude is positive you will become positive. This starts from our thoughts and what we think about ourselves, the people around us, what God thinks about us. It all relates to how we live life daily. The rest of the chapter goes on to talk about changing our attitudes and aligning our thoughts with how God sees things. This comes from the Word of God.
Attitude is everything. Attitude can change everything. God changed my everything. So I’m going to strive to change my attitude.
