True Identity Ministries Blog

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." Philippians 2:5 (NIV)



This morning my devotional time with my kids was about having an attitude of gratitude. It wasn’t even because they weren’t being grateful or anything; quite honestly it was just the next topic in the character building book we are going through. :) Isn’t it easy to sometimes lose that attitude?

I mean, it’s not that we don’t want to be grateful...I think it’s that we many times lose the right perspective. What I mean is…do you see the glass half full or half empty? Is it partly sunny or partly cloudy? Perspective can and certainly makes all the difference.

Even for strong Christians who are grounded in their faith, discouragement can easily sneak its way into hearts and minds as life deals us chaos. As we struggle with the challenges and difficulties of everyday life, or things that happened to us that were unfair or unwarranted, it is easy to get pulled into a habitual mindset of negativity. Just like that old song from the ‘80s says, we may find ourselves asking God, "What have you done for me lately?"

Our answer to that question will depend entirely upon our perspective. God does more for us each and every day than we deserve, but it 's so easy to lose sight of the good, because we can be caught up in the reality of the bad. How do we combat this perfectly human attitude and direct it over to an attitude of gratitude?

Prayer.

Resolve to have an attitude like Christ.

Take inventory of our every blessing.

Life. Your every breath. Your every heart beat. A spouse or loved one. Children. Clothes that need to be washed because God gave you clothes to wear, and a way to wash those clothes. Good health to help those whose health is failing. Trusted and educated doctors to treat you when you are facing health challenges. A house that needs cleaning. A car to drive. The ability to purchase gas for the car. A job to go to. The ability to be a stay at home mom or wife. Healthy kids who can play music or sports. Friends. Family. Freedom. Jesus. Eternal life.

What is on your inventory list today? If you were honest with yourself, would you say you have been looking for the positive aspects of the situations in your life? Are you considering how God could be using those things to draw you closer to Him? Or have you been primarily focused on the negative?

During times of negativity, we actually become our own enemy. We wage a battle in our mind because we look at our situation from our own perspective, instead of what God may be doing through our situation. So in order to change our minds, we have to choose to change the way we think – our perspective. Attitude is a choice.

I have heard it takes 21 days of doing something for it to become a new habit. The more you practice challenging your thought patterns, the more automatic it will become. Changes may not take place immediately, but over time, the challenge gets easier, and optimism becomes the norm instead of the exception.

Are you willing to take the challenge to become an optimist today? The rewards of looking for God's goodness in every situation will be a healthier and happier heart.

Dear Lord, forgive us for a lack of gratitude we all have at times. Thank You for your patience with us as we strive to grow to be more like you. Guide our hearts to recognize You at work, instead of seeing things from an earthly perspective. Lead me into a closer relationship with You by helping me remember to count my blessings every day. I n Jesus' Name, Amen.