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by Ruth O’Neil
Too often we look for a change in the conditions which we are in when what we really need is a change of attitude. If I were to be completely honest, I sometimes need to change of attitude myself. As a mom, it wasn’t particularly uncommon for me to tell my children they needed to change their attitudes. My kids needed a change of attitude at times, they could sit there and whine about doing their schoolwork – which wasn’t going to change the fact that it had to be done – or they could change their attitudes, realizing that if they would just focus, it wouldn’t take long to do it. They might have been grumpy. They might have been dragging their feet about something they needed to do. They might have been fighting with each other or arguing with me. If a household chore needed attention they could ignore it and come back to it later in a worse state, or change their attitude and just do it. Whatever the circumstances were, they needed to rethink, and change, the way they were handling it.
There are plenty of times, more than I care to admit, when I could handle situations so much better if I change the way I looked at the problem. But sometimes, a change of attitude goes hand-in-hand with a change of heart. You might think these are the same, but they’re not. The Bible tells us that, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34 KJV). If our hearts are in the right place, we won’t just spew ugliness out of our mouths.
Think about Paul. He had a thorn in the flesh. We don’t know exactly what it was, but we do know that he asked God repeatedly to remove it. I imagine that when Paul first began asking, there was probably an attitude problem. I would’ve probably been the same with lots of begging and tears. As Paul grew closer to the Lord, he began to have a change of heart, which turn affected his attitude. No matter what the circumstances are that you face today, know that you can go to God and request a change in your heart and in your attitude.
Paul tells us, after mentioning his flesh, God told him. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV).
God wants to carry your burdens. He wants us to come to Him for strength and comfort. It is when we learn to completely hand over to Him all of our difficulties, hardships, concerns, and troubles, knowing that He will take care of them, is when we truly have a change of attitude. You will feel a difference within yourself. Your attitude will be better, your heart will be lighter, no matter what the circumstances are.
Hand your troubles over to God and allow Him to give you a change of heart today.
About the Author:
Ruth O’Neil has been writing for over 20 years. She has published hundreds of articles in numerous publications. She loves to touch the emotions when she writes. “If I can make one person laugh or cry, I’ll consider myself successful.” Her first novel “Come Eat at My Table” has just come out in ebook form and can be purchased on her website. She homeschools her three children (well, one now, as two have graduated). She and her husband have been married for 20-plus years. In her spare time she enjoys quilting, crafting, and reading. You can visit her on her blog at ruths-real-life (dot)blogspot.com or her website at ruthoneil (dot)weebly.com
