My Attitude Stinks

Have you ever been asked to do something that you really didn’t want to do and then you grumble and complain about it the entire time? We do that all the time. Our life is full of times of going through the motions but not feeling like it. But do we still act that way when God asks us to do something? I don’t know about you but I absolutely do. Especially when things get a little bumpy on the road, I take that time to look up to the sky and remind God that this was all His idea, I didn’t even want to do it, but here I am no suffering because I obeyed. We can have terrible attitudes, and those attitudes can be directed toward God, our bosses, our kids, and even our husbands. When our spouses struggles with a particular sin, how quickly can we become prideful and boast about our righteousness just because we don’t share that same struggle? Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. Philippians 2:3-4. How often do we value our spouses above ourselves? What would our marriages look like if we did that? Our marriages might look more like the image of love that Christ has for us. Christ was always humble even when he could have pointed out how great and how perfect he was and is. Dealing with your spouse who struggles with sin should be dealt with gently and thoughtfully. Our reaction to things can oftentimes make things worse rather than better. How would you want Christ to deal with you and your sin?

Life and marriage can be a whirlwind of emotions. Some days we feel on top of the world, we are happy, and hopeful, and can experience incredible joy. At other times in our lives, we feel sorrow, regret, and remorse. It’s not about the emotions themselves that get us into trouble, it’s about how we handle those emotions. Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 12:9-10. Have you realized that even God experiences emotions? In Genesis, right before the flood, God felt regret that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. In Jeremiah, God said to Israel: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself. The difference between God’s emotions and ours is that He never sins. We however let our emotions cloud our judgment and can often lead our actions to become volatile and out of control. Even though God experiences the same emotions we do, He is able to still love us perfectly, despite the ways that we hurt Him. Think about the ways you have hurt God, what about the ways you have hurt your spouse? We know that we can never be perfect like God. That’s why Jesus had to die on the cross for us, but that doesn’t mean that we throw in the towel and quit trying. No, this is why we need our daily bread of reading the bible, and why we need prayer because we can do nothing without Christ. But through his strength and his goodness, we can try to love our spouse the way God loves us. So when you are walking through that dark place and your attitude couldn’t be worse, seek God, pray to Him, and have Him change your attitude and your life. You are a new creation after all.