Trying...

We’re all trying to have the attitude we need to have. This is the struggle of every Christian. So this week I dealt with a situation (not involving any members at Spring Meadows) that called upon me to determine to respond differently than I wanted to respond, differently than “any right thinking person one”, differently than any of my friends would have encouraged me to respond had I asked them about it.

Now, please don’t think I’m the hero of this blog. I wanted to be angry, I wanted to respond in kind, I wanted my friends to tell me how I had every right to demand my rights!  Because it validates my feelings and justifies what I know is not what I should do.

What I’m trying to say is that there is a naturally, human way to respond to slights, to hurts, to frustrations and challenges that we are to be above and it becomes easy to “swim downstream” attitudinally.  And often when people come to us, even Christians, and express “how they’ve been done” or “what they said” our response back it the same that they could get from anyone anywhere.  “You have every right to be angry!”, “You ought to…”, “If they said that to me I’d…”

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…” (Philippians 2:5 ESV).  “Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh” (Romans 13:14 NIV). “In the Lord’s name, I tell you this. Do not continue living like those who do not believe. Their thoughts are worth nothing” (Ephesians 4:17 NCV).

Do we get the message?  We are to not just think the way, react the way, act the way of those who are not striving to be like Christ. We must be making some effort to be different in our actions and attitudes or we will devolve into what we do not want to be and what is not pleasing to Christ.  Are you trying to have the attitude you know you need to have or enjoying the “self”-satisfaction of this is how most folks would react?

It may be in my makeup not to like leadership – so but as I Christian I must strive to respect elders. It may be a hurt in my past that makes me suspicious of “organized religion” but as one who belongs to the Body of Christ, I must attempt to see the best in a local congregation. My dad, husband, uncle, brother, may be the “icon” of what a preacher is but I should strive aim to encourage the man chosen to deliver the lesson each week.  I was not taught to give, but I must try to learn the joy of giving if I am to be pleasing to God.  You pick your vice, your struggle, your area where you are tempted to be less than the Master who bought you.

I’m trying to have the attitude I need to have. And I don’t know about you, but it brings me a certain joy to be trying to be better as a Christian than I would be if I did not know Christ.