Attitude

So.  We had a skunk let its stink go during the night behind our house.  The smell permeated our home.  It was more than annoying, the stink literally changed the atmosphere.  It reminded me of one of my friends, who had been in a life-altering accident, who had to learn to live as a paraplegic, who had an incredible positive attitude and taught me:

Attitude changes the atmosphere of our lives.  There's some who have a stinking attitude and stink up our world.  Others change the world by their positive "can do" approach. 

The longer I live, the more I'm sure that "attitude is everything," a statement that my kids were pretty much forced to live by.  The thing is . . . both positive and negative attitudes are barometers of what's up ahead for us . . . leading us toward a positive or negative outcome.


Consider.
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had (Philippians 2:5, NLT). 

We often think attitude is a choice; however, as a Christ follower, it's a "must" to have the same attitude as Christ had.  

A positive attitude, rooted in the presence and power of Christ, is optimistic, confident, hopeful, enthusiastic and self-less while a negative attitude is one that is pessimistic, cynical, critical, unenthusiastic, dismissive, unresponsive, and selfish; it's most often rooted in anger and/or fear. An attitude that lacks the presence of Christ is an attitude which lacks the power to have a positive lasting impact for Christ.  If, we keep centered on Christ rather than self, our attitude will be likewise.

Live with the attitude that Christ Jesus had.


Learning to Kickstart the day with the attitude of Christ,
Kerrie

(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)