it's all about the attitude

A few weeks ago, I made mention of a verse that I recently fell in love with:

9 And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, ¹⁰ so that you can determine what really matters and can be pure and blameless in the day of Christ. (Philippians 1)

And since writing that, I have really started to evaluate my life. When I look back in years to come, I want it to be evident that I focused on "what really mattered." My evaluation has really opened my eyes to some things that need attention.... some simple and some that require lots of effort. But then I ran into a problem!

You see... as I was thinking about where I was and where I wanted to be, I couldn't help but think of one particular area. It's something I have prayed about for years. I recently received the answer that I was looking for and that verse solidified my decision. But as I thought about taking action regarding it, I realized, that even though I knew it was the right choice, it was the wrong time. So I did what most people do.

I pouted. Well... maybe I did a little more. The more I thought about it, the more it consumed me. Voicing my discontentment simply fueled my fire of unhappiness. Before long, I convinced myself that my life was a heck of a lot worse than it really was. Something had to change.

As I sat down to read my Bible this morning, I knew before I even began that my heart was not open. I was pouting about things not being MY way. I finished reading and I began emailing my accountability partner as I do each day. I wrote the saddest, most depressing email that I could come up with... about how I wanted things NOW and they weren't happening NOW and I was mad that they weren't happening NOW and blah blah blah and then.... I STOPPED!

I reread my words, and I had to pause. I'm a glass-half full girl! I didn't even know where those words came from. Why was I so down and out about one simple thing when I had a bazillion things to be happy about. And then it hit me. It's all about the attitude. You see- I can't change my circumstances right now. They are what they are and God intended them to be like this. But I am in control of my attitude. I can choose to focus on the things I cannot change, or I can accept where I am and serve God to the best of my ability while He works out His timing.

Though I long to walk gracefully as a Christian, I, too, stumble more times than I'm willing to admit. I am grateful for a God that loves me inspite of my ungrateful attitude. He has blessed my socks off, and I was reminded of that once again! So as I wait patiently for Him to carry out His plan for me, I have a new motto:

When I cannot change my circumstances, I can always change my attitude.