It Is All About Our Attitude

Good Morning everyone and may you have a wonderful Sunday to relax and rejoice in the Lord, spend time with family & friends or yourselves and remember that what we do in life is how we are perceived and it really is all about OUR attitude.

Notice I didn't say it was about their attitude, but OURS.

The Lord has been working with me a lot lately on attitude and trust me, I am big enough to admit I can be and have a huge attitude at times. What I dislike lately and wish I knew where it was coming from is my attitude towards my own family, those people who love me beyond measure. It just seems I am short tempered lately and I don't know why and I want it to STOP!!

It is just 'snappiness,' that is turning into ugliness and I don't want to be this way, I get no pleasure from being this way, I want it to stop! I don't know if it is living in pain, not having a full-time job, the medication I am on or what, but I am very short tempered with everyone.

Just last night, hubby and I were discussing why or why not people that live in our area seem to be able to weather the last few years storms and disasters without panic, but seem to pull together and help each other more. I mean honestly, seeing people in Seattle and other areas go into a panic because bad weather was coming was almost comical to me.

Don't get me wrong, as a certified FEMA response team member, I am all for being prepared, but there is a huge difference between being prepared and panic! In our area, I just believe people prepare all year around for what could happen and then they don't have to rush out to buy everything off the shelves.

My husband on the other hand stated it was because all the people in this area are so poor they can't afford to go out and buy things. Not to mention we don't have the Costco, Sam's Club or many other places to shop where people can buy in bulk. I snapped back at him quickly and harshly saying I didn't believe that was the case and he needed to open his eyes because not everyone around here is poor.

He took one look at me and simply said: 'I am really getting tired of you raising your voice to me everytime you want to make your point.' 'Nuf said, he is right. It seems many times lately when we talk, I raise my voice and go on the defensive. Perhaps because I know how much he dislikes it here and I wanted to move here and I have some innate need to feel better about me, I don't know, but I do know he is right, it has to stop!

So, today I am writing on attitude.
Attitude: We all have one, good or bad, positive or negative;optimistic or pessimistic; know it alls or those without a clue; good hearted or mean spirited, etc. Attitude sets the tone of our day, ourselves and our homelife. If we have bad attitudes, so will those around us eventually or they will just stop coming around us. OUCH!

What we need to do is give it to God and say, 'Lord, I am out of sorts today, but I know with your help, I can be the person you want me to me, the person you dwell within, the person who is kind and loving, please be with me and help me remember my attitude isn't just reflective on myself, but directly to You as well. Amen.'

Our heavenly Abba has given us so much to be happy about, but aside from that, He has given us a solid foundation in His word on how to have a great attitude. Philippians 4:8-9 tells us that 'Whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely of good repute, excellent and worthy of praise we should let our minds dwell on these things, practice these things and God shall be with us.'

God is ever present so when we hear something we dislike, we don't have to speak or react right away, we can quickly say I know the Lord is with me I will take a breath and then answer. God is also all-powerful and can help you and I with anything we ask of Him, it isn't to small if it is getting in our way of showing Gods love to others & isn't that what life is about?

I know you are saying or thinking, that might work for Jean, but not for me or that, this Jean is a real nut case, but I'm not. I just have things in my life like many of you that need improving on and there are times that God wants me to let you know if He can change my heart and my tongue, He can surely change what is going on with your life.

I want to review 1 Corinthians13:4-13 known sometimes as the Love Chapter of the Bible. But I am going to review it while reviewing myself:

Love is patient and kind. I am not always patient or kind. Yesterday I got up and had breakfast and was ready for the day. Hubby on the other hand wanted a day like the day before to just sit and relax & I WAS NOT going to let that happen. At least NOT until I had finished what I wanted done. I wanted house paint gone through so I could touch up some areas around our doors that have been bad since we had them put in. Then, I wanted boxes out of the attic, paint put back, boxes put back, kids rooms cleaned, etc. I was like a mad woman wanting my way! I was neither patient or kind as I was barking out my demands like a drill Sgt. Is this the Prednisone? I dont' know, but when I want cleaning done, it has to be done now, my way.

Love is not jealous okay, I am not jealous so I have one right! Love is not boastful, I can still use some work in this area in some ways. It is not proud or rude. I am not proud or at least not proud when I hurt someones feelings or make them feel badly. Rude, well, snappiness is rudeness is it not? Love does not demand its own ways. I am guilty of this one in my own ways. I do not always want life to revolve around me, but when I want something done, I don't want to wait for it. I also have problems remembering Jerry gets up at 0400 every morning working or not. So, by the time I get out of bed at between 0700 - 0830 he has been up awhile. But I quickly get upset when at 1130 he is ready for lunch and a nap. I forget he has already been up for almost 8 hours. Love is not irritable. I have been irritated a lot lately. It seems everyone has so many demands on my time or expectations of me. My sons call me everyday not with Hi Mom, but hey mom, are you near the computer, can you tell me this, can you help me here, can you find for me...I know when I see their number pop up it isn't to ask how I am, but what can I do for them. Our son in prison calls or writes and constantly asks for money, for help for him and friends & that irritates me and please, lets not even go to when Jerry comes home and asks what is for dinner! I am easily irritated and I dislike that in myself. NO, I haven't always been this way and I want the old me back please! Love keeps no record of when it has been wronged. Well, I don't write it down if that is what this means. But when Jerry got upset over the livingroom being full of messes before Christmas and asked me to pick up and keep them to a minimum, I agreed. Since then, I am always reminding him his boots are in the middle of the floor, his coats are on the couch, his tools are on the counter, etc. and when he asked me about it the other day, I told him, 'well, didn't you start this when you said I was always leaving my messes all over the place?' If that isn't record keeping, I don't know what is!

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance. Finally, an area in which I know I do well in. I have endured some horrific things in my life time (child molestation, horrible rumors, the loss of a child, an abusive marriage, homelessness, drug addiction and alcoholism is our family, children in prison, etc.) and somehow through all the tragedy, sadness and lows in my life, I have never given up.

That is not to say I haven't been discouraged, I have. I have been known when times are really bad to sit in a corner and cry for hours and pray and beg and plead with God, then I realize if it weren't for God, I wouldn't be able to be as far as I am & that I am always right where He wants me to be at any given moment. But I hear him telling me lately, LOOSE THE ATTITUDE, even I can't work with you when you have the uglies! Let Me in and let Me help!

So, this morning I find myself talking to complete strangers about my attitude and how I want it to change & how this morning I got up and began reading Joyce Meyer 'Starting Your Day Right,' and right off the bat I saw her talk about Slingers. Those who sling accusations, salt into our wounds, judgement, criticism and fault finding & I realized I was becoming one of them & I do not want to be one of them.

So, when working on attitude, I must humble my own and ask you to please pray for me. Pray for me to change my attitude and my outlook on life. Pray that I will be able to recognize an ugly before it comes out of my mouth and replace it with silence. Pray for my husband who bears the brunt of this move on his shoulders in so many ways.

Pray for my quilting business to become a business. Pray that the schools will call me to work daily for the next week or so. Pray that my attitude will be changed. If you need prayer, I will gladly pray for your needs as well, but I am just asking that during your day if you think of this post or me, please say a prayer for MY ATTIDUDE.

Have a Blessed Day!