Have you ever had one of those days where frustration threatened to overtake you? It was during that time that I learned God’s cure for a bad attitude. One simple mindset shift is all it takes.
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I sat there on the verge of tears.
Situations occurred that were out of my control, things I was depending on and was now powerless to do anything about. People proved unreliable and undependable. Tasks that should have been simple were proving to be difficult at every turn.
I was emotionally spent.
Physically weary.
Every ounce of me wanted to give up.
I wanted to complain.
I wanted wrongs to be made right.
The enemy had me exactly where he wanted me: discouraged and negative. I definitely wasn’t in a position to effect positive change in my situation with that kind of mind-set.
Not sure I could take any more, I followed Jesus’s example and went away for a few quiet moments by myself. There, God got hold of my heart.
Gratitude and thankfulness: the cure for a bad attitude
“I know this is not what you want, but despite what is going on, what can you thank me for?” was His challenge.
If I’m being completely transparent here, my first thought wasn’t exactly a positive one. I wasn’t in a mood to be thankful. I was frustrated and angry. Yet in my spirit, I knew He was right.
Practicing gratitude cured my bad attitude
I stepped outside and felt the warmth of the sun on my face, and was immediately cheered by the bright blue sky. “I love sunny blue-sky days, Lord. Thank you for such a beautiful day after so many rainy days recently.”
Then my thoughts drifted to my home. “I love my home and the memories we’ve made there. And I love my family. Thank you for my home and family, Lord. They bring joy and comfort to my life!”
Names and faces of friends and fond memories with them crowded my mind, and I thanked God for surrounding us with such good friends who make my life richer because of them.
It almost seemed silly, but as a bird chirped and caught my attention, I glanced in the direction of my car and thanked God for a reliable car that I have fun driving on sunny days.
I just kept listing things I was thankful for over the next several minutes. And in that short span of time, something wonderful happened: while nothing about my circumstances changed, my attitude had.
Gratitude cured my negative attitude, and I felt happier and more at peace. The enemy no longer had a hold on me. True to God’s word, greater is He who is in me than the one who was in the world trying to negatively influence my day. But practicing gratitude changed my attitude and refocused my attention on God and on what really mattered.
I’d love to hear about a time when you found gratitude to be helpful in changing your attitude or that of someone you love in the comments below! We could all use the encouragement from time to time.
#GoodDay #GratitudeForTheWin #TakeThatEnemy
Because of Him, #HopePrevails!
Every day can be a good day when you trust the promises of God.
Today is Going to be a Good Day
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My newest book, Today is Going to be a Good Day: 90 Promises from God to Start Your Day Off Right is now available!
This uplifting devotional helps you make each day a good day no matter what is going on in your life.
When life conspires to drag us down with all of its troubles, it can be hard to keep our spirits up. In times of severe illness and depression, I learned that when I stand on God’s promises, despite my circumstances, every day can be a good day.
Each reading includes Scripture, reflection, prayer, and a recommended playlist song designed to help you live out Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers and sisters, 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.”
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Thank you for the encouragement that you always give. With all that’s happening in the world today, it’s a struggle to keep a good attitude. We also have a health situation with our son and we don’t know how that will turn out.
I’m going to take your advice and focus on gratitude, I do have many things to be thankful for. May God bless you as you have been a blessing to many.
It is wonderful how becoming grateful can turn around a bad attitude. It helps us reprioritize what is important and what is not. “But practicing gratitude changed my attitude and refocused my attention on God and on what really mattered.” Amen.
It is hard to be grateful when everything seems to be falling apart, I am so grateful for restored health.
Wow! So glad to get one more hope-filled post from you. Thanks so much for sharing. Stopping by from # Moments of hope.
An attitude-of-gratitude is a wonderful gift!
Grace & Truth
Loved this! I fail a lot but am thankful he is teaching me, and shows me mercy,
Great message – there is always something to be thankful for!
Thank you for reminding of this! Blessings abound around us:)
Visiting from #Faith’nFriends
Your blog made me think of a song we have sung for years in church called ‘Count Your Blessings”. One of our senior adults, who always had a smile and a word of blessing, would sing the song this way: Count your blessings name them TON by TON (it was really one by one but he loved to sing it this way). That has stuck in my memory for over 30 years. I was blessed and he helped me look on life as a glass half full rather than half empty. Thank you for your message!! Certainly helped me today with my perspective and attitude. It reminded me to be thankful IN all things!! Love and appreciate you, Dr. Michelle, so much!!
Karen,
I love how songs often come to your mind when you read and hear things here and on social media. I love how the words were changed to Count your blessings name them TON by TON. We have so many blessings but we have to be intentional to recognize them.
Michelle, I’m sitting here at home, in the middle of a pandemic of huge proportions and unrest in every city and state, feeling so very thankful, especially after reading this blog, for the joy of being a child of God and having Jesus as my Savior. For the Eternal Hope of life everlasting with Him. Also reflecting on those I love and how precious our times together. I have those in my life so dear to my heart who are hurting and I want them healed but as I pray and release them, I also thank the Lord for the gift of prayer where I can take my loved one and lay her in God’s hands and know that He loves her even more than I do and that He will take care of her. Thank you Lord that You hear and answer my prayers. So thank you for the precious timing of this message and the opportunity to share. A song that I hear in my heart and mind: Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at His word. Just to rest upon His promise. Just to say Thus saith the Lord Jesus Jesus how I love Him.
It’s hard to hold a grudge or be angry with someone if you’re praying for them.
This>”I’d love to hear about a time when you found gratitude to be helpful in changing your attitude or that of someone you love” is a good question. I’m one of those people who tries to find the good in a situation. I haven’t always been that way, prior to that I had been a complainer, a why me, and angry at times. But now as I age and my relationship with Jesus continues to grow I find that I’m more able to find the good, is there a lesson to be learned, is Jesus trying to tell me something that I don’t understand or recognize yet when I face a circumstance, hardship or situation. I lament to him at times then try to be intentional about hearing his whispers. Sometimes I get it while sometimes I don’t. All in all, what I do know is that he is working behind the scenes for my good.