Attitude- It's a Choice

The title of this blog is a subject I that I have been studying and thinking about for the last several weeks. For years I felt that my attitude was a given response to whatever the circumstances at hand were. My attitude was good if things were going good, my friendships were thriving, if there was money in the bank, and nothing had derailed my set plans. My attitude was bad if things were not going my way, if a friend had upset me or let me down, if I was broke or if I didn't know my next move.
In reading books such as "Attitude is Everything" (Jeff Keller), among others, I am convinced that attitude truly is a choice, and it is NOT based on circumstances. We of course, can choose to let our negative experiences get us down, but it is not a given. There have been so very many examples of people who were down and out, and when they chose to belief there were worse things that could have happened to them, things looked better in their eyes.
I noticed some examples of some status updates on Facebook this week:
-I am irritated when our electric goes out every time there is a thunder storm. You'd think we live in the middle of no where!
-I think it's stupid that the pool doesn't open until 1pm. When I was a kid, it opened at 11am.
-I just can't win.
-Look at the street sign. You are on the corner of "suck it up and move on."

Wow, right!? These are a very small margin of negative posting that are out there. We need to learn to Reframe our thoughts and take every thought captive as 2 Corinthians 10:5 says. The enemy is thrilled with our negative, critical, bad attitudes and uses them to get us to doubt the promises of God.

What are some ways we can combat these bad attitudes?
-Memorize and recall scripture promises Here are my favorites: (Hebews 13:5, Psalm 103:3-6, John 3:16, 1 Peter 5:7, Matthew 6:30, Psalm 37:25)
-Reframe. Think of a situation similar to yours but think about how much worse it could be.
-Be thankful for what you DO have and not what what is NOT happening.
-Realize that the things we face are for our sanctification- they are working good in our lives, even when we do not realize it or see the big picture.

Choose a good attitude today. If someone is rude to you, cuts you off, or even rips you off, give grace. Choose mercy. That's what Jesus does for you and me every single moment, every day.