As a mom, I always think about the things on my never-ending to do list. There is always a friendly pile of clothes greeting me daily... then there are the dishes, vacuuming, shopping, cooking, and cleaning... not to mention bill paying and babysitting…it is endless!
I can get pretty tired and cranky, resulting in a sour, ugly attitude! You know, poor me, or I'm so tired, or why do I do all the work… I could go on and on! Lately I have been challenged to change my attitude. God has a sense of humor and teaches me lots of lessons through the everyday muddle. We have two dogs. One is about the size of a small horse... a purebred German shepherd, whose name is Thunder! He looks like a force to be reckoned with! The other dog is a miniature Australian shepherd mixed with Pomeranian. She looks dainty and sweet, but looks and attitude are deceiving at times. Thunder is big and slobbering and very tender! He is a huge baby. And while Daisy can be very loving, she is also a diva! Daisy is in charge around here... she is smart and sassy! Daisy is tiny, but she is mighty in spirit. She is a guard dog, and periodically puts huge Thunder in his place, although when she is standing she doesn't even reach his head!
It is quite comical to watch Daisy growl and go after Thunder. If he had a bad attitude he could swallow her in one gulp! This brings to mind Proverbs 23:7, "As a man (or dog) thinks in their heart, so is he".
Thunder doesn't know he's huge, so he is sensitive and even scares easily and tries to hide behind me! One time, when thunder got scared, he jumped on my lap and then behind me on the back of my chair. Daisy wasn't having that, so she jumped on top of Thunder on my
chair. It was hilarious! What a great picture of us in life... if we know who we are, then we will walk worthy of our calling! If Daisy knew she was all bluff she would have a much harder time with Thunder but she is a princess and she knows it! She is a tiny dog with a big attitude and Thunder is huge but still a baby.
The point is, when my attitude is right... lining up with Gods word, and I have an attitude of Christlikeness... knowing who I am in Jesus... then I (and you) can go from our to do list to our get to do list! I can be thankful that I have a washing machine and fresh water, food to cook and eat, a good vacuum, etc.
It helps when I start my day with praise, "This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it" (Ps.118:24). And YES! That means in season and out (or my translation, whether I feel like it or not)! Phi.2:3-8 says,
"do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests but also for the interests of others. Have this ATTITUDE in yourselves which was in Christ Jesus who although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself taking on the form of a bond servant, and being made in the likeness of man being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross"
Charles Swindoll has a writing on attitude that I really appreciate. He said:
"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.”
I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitudes!!! Ok, now say it with me:
"THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE WE WILL REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT" !!!!! Amen!!!