Have you ever had a day that you wish you could "do over"? In my life, I have had that feeling on several ocasssions. I wish I could say that I am all positive, all the time...or that I see the glass as half full in every situation. But since I have promised you I'd be honest, I have to admit that some times I feel, well, just blah or even negative about my day.
Now the question I have to ask myself is why?
I have pondered this attitude question a lot this month. As some of you know, I am trying to do 30 days of random acts of kindness. I guess since I am actively trying to change the atmosphere around me by anonymously doing kind things for others, it has brought to light an icky underbelly to my own personality. Sometimes, I am not real nice. There. I said it... in front of God and everyone! (yikes!)
In sunday school, we learned that Jesus says is the greatest commandment is "To love one another". And in school they taught us the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you'd like done to you". If these idea have been rattling around all these years in my mind, then why is so dang hard sometimes to be positive and kind? Why do I so often go for sarcasm instead of a loving reply? Why when the glass is clearly half full, do I insist it is only half empty? The answer is....I am human. All I know is that when I have a bunch of "stinking thinking" going on, the only thing that can change it is to renew my mind. The Bible says that we are a new creation when we accept Jesus as our Savior, that the old is made new. That means I have NO OBLIGATION to my old crappy nature. Soooooo, when I start to get down and pessimistic, I need to follow the advice in scripture to renew my mind, and kick the bad attitude out. If you struggle. like I do, with an occassional (or maybe even a cronic) case of "Stinking Thinking", read and meditate on Philippians 4:4-9. It will change the atmosphere in your mind...and in your world.
Phil 4:4-9
"Rejoice in the Lord Always, and again I say rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God & the PEACE that transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, pure, lovely, abmirable, excellent or praise-worthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned, received, heard or seen in me--PUT INTO PRACTICE. And the God of peace will be with you"
