It's All in Your Head

Until November my exercise routine was inconsistent, to say the least. The week before Thanksgiving I found resolve. I made plans with a friend to start exercising every morning before work, and soon I was working out 6 days a week. I had done this every week for seven weeks, but week before last, exhausted from the busyness of my life, I got off schedule. This weekend, looking at the calendar where I track my progress, I lamented to Matt, "I have got to get back on track Monday. I haven't gotten 6 days the last two weeks." Then, I started laughing at myself, because I realized that now 3 days a week is not good enough for me when there was a time that I would have been proud of that. It's all about attitude. How awesome is it that I have raised my standard such that I still exercise 3 times on a bad week?
It got me to thinking: Attitude is at the heart of all our successes... and our failures. When we look at scripture, this is undeniable.


• I'll start in Genesis. Why was Cain's offering not accepted? Attitude. See Genesis 4 for the story and 1 John 3:11-12 for the assessment.


• The Israelites... Do I even have to elaborate? Every time God gave them another reason to believe it seems they found something else to complain about.

• And then there was Job. Job 1:1 "There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil." Job suffered greatly for the glory of God. His health, his livelihood, his family: nothing was left untouched. Job's wife said, Curse God and die. What is your life worth now? Job 2:10 "But he said to her, 'You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?' In all this Job did not sin with his lips." The struggle was tough, but Job glorified God in a way that we remember to this day, thousands of years later, AND he was reward. His doubting friends were cursed, he became prosperous and fruitful, and he lived a long life.


• Look at the parable of the widow. She gave very little, but her attitude in giving was commended above that of those who gave much. Mark 12:41-44


The Bible is full of examples of attitude determining the outcome of God's people. Additionally, scripture tells us that our attitude matters. Read Philippians 2:1-18.




Now, if I have you convinced that your attitude determines your outcome, let's talk about how that plays out at home. For most of us, the very worst of who we are comes out with our families. It's sad but true, the people we love the most are the ones we dump our dark, ugly feelings on. I can understand how people justify this, but I don't think it's okay. According to my understanding of scripture, we should start right at home if we want to end right everywhere else. The best advice given to me regarding marriage was this: Have mercy. So simple, but so difficult. (SIDEBAR: My mom's motto has long been "Don't sweat the small stuff." Funny that we have to tell ourselves not to worry about small stuff, but more often than not, the source of discontent in our lives is not a major issue.) God's mercy is the most amazing thing about Him. The fact that he provides for us despite our lack of gratefulness is what makes His "grace, grace...wonderful grace."


So, considering Philliapians 2 and that phrase, 'Have mercy,' I'll explain how I've learned to adjust my attitude.

My husband leaves his gigantic, size 13 shoes laying all over the living room floor. I'm not talking about one pair each day or the same pair all of the time. I'm talking four, five pairs of shoes taking up the walking space of the tiny living room in which resides a woman who often trips over her own two feet. This is not a sometimes problem, it is an every day issue. A typical reaction might be to fuss and nag. A possible reaction could include arguing and throwing said boats at my husband's head. Instead, I decided during our first year of our marriage to adjust my attitude and solve the problem. Rather than letting the shoes drive me crazy or starting a fight with my beloved over small stuff, I pick them up. Several times a week I pick up his shoes and carry them to his closet. I do it in love, and now it is less a chore and more a habit. My husband knows that I pick up his shoes. The shoes in the floor don't bother him, but my act of picking up his shoes with a smile does make him aware of my love. Thus, a potential weekly fight becomes a loving act of service. I could give other examples, but this is my favorite. Whenever your special fella does that one thing that isn't really important but seems designed to turn your hair gray, smile and adjust your attitude. It will be hard at first, but over time you'll begin to see a difference in yourself. And, really, our attitudes are the only ones we can control, and when we take care of our attitudes, other people are always affected.


For you this may need to start broader than the space of your living room. Are you loudly impatient when the checkout line doesn't move as fast as you think it should? Do you complain because you don't agree with the way your boss runs things? Is your reaction to other people's rudeness to outdo them with your own venom? The point is denying our own rights in order to show love to others.


Follow these simple steps:
a. Hold your tongue.
b. Choose to live Philippians 2.
c. Watch the glories of God unfold.


mercy [mur-see] n compassionate or kindly forbearance (refraining from the enforcement of a right) shown toward an offender