“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” What is yours like? Do others enjoy being around you, or do they cringe when they see you coming? Do you quickly judge others before knowing all the facts? Do you complain about everything before ever observing what is good? Do you ever pay others a compliment, or do you tear them down every chance that you get?
If all of your answers are negative, then you have a sour attitude and need an “attitude adjustment.” If your answers are all positive, then you have a sweet attitude and should share it everywhere that you go, so it can rub off on others. This is a brand new year God has allowed you to see, so that alone should make everyone want to have an attitude of sweetness. Ephesians 4:31-32 (ESV) affirms this about having a positive attitude: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
No one wants to be around someone who always has an attitude of bitterness, otherwise, one that is sour. Someone with a sweet attitude about life usually possesses these characteristics: thoughtful of others, always wants to cheer up people, helps others get through a bad day, is very polite, generous, has an admirable personality, looks for the good in others, and is selfless.
One who has a sweet attitude also has an optimistic outlook about both the present and the future. This individual uses negative experiences to build on something positive. When he has to be stern, it is usually done in the spirit of harmony, love and peace.
A sweet attitude is a reminder of what it says in Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV): “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
However, someone with a sour attitude is just the opposite. He has a spirit of seeking to blame others, is ungrateful, looks for the negative in everything, is never satisfied, lacks confidence, is fearful of trying new things, has feelings of hate for others, usually for no apparent reason, and feels the world revolves around him only. Someone with this type of attitude needs a change.
Before that person can change, he has to know he needs to change. Then he has to want to change.
The next step would be to ask God to change him into a better person to live for His glory. I Chronicles 16:11 (ESV) declares, “Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually.” Therefore, as some of us have heard before, “A bad attitude is like a flat tire; you can’t go anywhere until you change it.” Consequently, there is hope for someone who has a sour attitude, but the desire for the change is up to him. Every now and then, we all need to check our attitudes and “monitor and adjust.”
Keep the sweet, and let go of the sour!
Have a wonderfully blessed week, and never leave home without Him!
(Anna Bright is a minister and educator in Walterboro. She can be reached at abrightcolumn@lowcountry.com)
