It’s All About Attitude

Philippians 2:3-4

“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind

let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on

his own things, but every man also on the things of others.”

Years ago, we flew down Tampa to join in the celebration of the adoption of our grandchildren Brittany and Michael. That flight still sticks out in my mind. Because we made our flight arrangements at the last minute, we found ourselves in the very  last 2 seats in the very last row of the plane. The seats were straight up, and we were not able to recline because they were against the back wall. They were visibly smaller (if that’s even possible) and also with less leg room between the seats in front of us. (I’m 5’10” so just in a normal plane seat my knees touch the seat in front of me.) There was no window, and I felt like I was packed into the seat. It’s a good thing I don’t have claustrophobia. Needless to say, I was not a happy camper. I began voicing my displeasure to my husband and to myself.

I finally got settled into what was going to be a very long trip and got my seatbelt fastened. As the rest of the passengers got on board, I watched with interest as the last of them made their way to the back of the plane and took the two seats across the row and one row up. One of the young men immediately made an impression. He came down the aisle with a big smile and greeted everyone on his way back to his seat. The flight attendant helped him find his seat and he struck up an instant

conversation with her. He was upbeat and so happy. You couldn’t help but be pulled into his little world. I continued to watch with curiosity as he interacted with the people around him. I wondered what he was so happy about.

Soon the flight attendant began her spiel that for anyone who does any amount of flying is so routine you can almost repeat it word for word. This young man watched her very intently and when she was finished, he broke out in cheers and clapping his hands. Well, now he really had my attention not to mention the rest of the people on the plane.

As I sat there studying this young man (which thankfully took my mind off my own circumstances), I wondered at his attitude as he continued happily talking to everyone around him for the rest of the flight.

Ephesians 4:31-32

“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”

Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. Ouch! It was all about attitude. I was complaining about my circumstances which in the whole realm of life were not that earth-shaking and here this young man on the same plane was so full of happiness and joy. (Ok, so he wasn’t shoved in the corner of the plane like I was, but I really don’t think it would have changed his joyful attitude at all had he been.)

Colossians 3:23

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

Have you ever watched two different people react to the same set of circumstances? I have. It is amazing the spectrum of reactions that you will see. Some act like it is the end of the world and others respond to the very same situation and take it in stride without missing a beat. What makes the difference? Is the situation the same? Yes! It’s all about attitude. Some people are just

determined to think that the world revolves around them and their happiness. It’s all about “my” comfort, “my” pain, and “my” circumstances. Always dwelling on me, me, me. Philippians 2:3-4 tells us to stop dwelling on ourselves and hold others in high esteem.

Proverbs 17:22

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

In recent years, as most of you know, I have been struggling with my health and pain. I have been pretty much housebound and not able to get around very well. I made the decision early on that I don’t want to be known as that person who dwells on myself and more importantly, I want to honor the Lord because He is ultimately the One Who allows and orchestrates my life and circumstances. I choose to trust Him and His plan for my life. I also am reminded that there are so many people in so much worse circumstances. Why should I complain? Think about everything that

Jesus went through for us and never once complained or whined about His circumstances. We should be ashamed sometimes of our reactions and attitude towards hardships or inconveniences.

Attitude is so important in the way that we live our lives and how we represent the Savior Who we as Christians claim. So, before you react to circumstances in your life, stop, pause and think about your attitude. Is it Christ-honoring or self-honoring?

Galatians 5:22

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,”