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Written by Michelle J. Goff
Naomi and Felicity were twin sisters—fraternal twins, not identical ones. Like the meaning of their names, Naomi was pleasant, and Felicity was happy. They shared many things in common and often had parallel experiences even though they were in different classes at school. They lived through good times and hard times growing up. And then, they were both young professionals in search of a job…
Felicity sent out her resume, called to follow up with the companies, and was able to schedule four interviews for the following week.
Naomi sent out her resume, called to follow up with the companies, and was able to schedule three interviews for the following week.
Felicity was happy for her sister.
Naomi felt jealous that her sister scheduled one more interview than she did. Her attitude began to sour.
The week of the interviews arrived…
Felicity chose to wear something she already owned. Naomi felt discontent with her wardrobe. With no time to shop for a new outfit before the first interview, and no money to buy anything anyway, Naomi muttered under her breath as she complained aloud that she had nothing to wear.
Felicity spilled coffee on her shirt, feeling nervous about two interviews on the same day. Grateful that it happened before she left the house, she quickly changes her shirt and runs out the door, grabbing a scarf in case she had another spill later.
Naomi was equally nervous, but her attitude had her focused on lamenting that she only had one interview that day. On an emotional roller coaster, she secretly smiled knowing that she wasn’t the one to spill coffee like her sister did. Yet she frowned in the mirror bemoaning the rumpled clothes she already hadn’t wanted to wear. The clothes had gotten wrinkled after a frantic search for her keys in every nook and cranny of the apartment. Agitated and very late, Naomi finally found her keys and ran out the door, feeling defeated. She assumed that the interview was already a lost cause.
Both girls arrived at their respective interviews and, before I proceed with the story, I invite you to pause with me in order to reflect on a few questions:
How were the two girls the same? How were they different?
What about their attitudes?
As soon as this illustration started, we could’ve renamed Naomi Mara, which means bitter. You may be familiar with that name from Ruth’s mother-in-law in the book of Ruth. Upon their return to Bethlehem, Naomi asked that she be called Mara. Tragic circumstances had left her feeling forgotten, pained, alone, and forsaken. “I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty” (Ruth 1:21). Mara felt a shell of her formerly pleasant self.
In Ruth chapters 2-4, we see Naomi’s attitude begin to change as she recognizes God’s provision and care. She has begun to look to God again and to trust in Him. Since attitude determines the direction we are headed, we have the choice to spiral down or look up.
Back to Felicity and Naomi… Based solely on their attitudes, how do you think the interviews went?
Since this is a completely made-up story for illustration purposes, I am going to allow you to fill in the blanks and imagine how the rest of the story goes. As you play out the scene using your imagination, here are a few important things to keep in mind.
• Our moods shift with the circumstances. Attitude is a choice.
• At any point in a situation, we can choose to change our attitude and positively affect the outcome, especially our response to the outcome.
• God is bigger than any situation or circumstance. He is powerful to redeem and gracious to forgive.
• When we remember that attitude is not dependent on our circumstances, we can choose a good attitude during difficult times.
• The best attitude is one that looks to God, thus allowing us to see Him beyond our circumstances.
How is your attitude today? Are you allowing your mood or your circumstances to dictate how the rest of your day goes? Or are you choosing an attitude that looks to and trusts in God? How can we encourage an Iron Rose Sister in her attitude without dismissing her difficult circumstances?
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Written by Monica Dye, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Searcy, Arkansas
Attitude. We often say this word, but what does it mean? When my daughter was young and would sass back to me I would say to her, “watch your attitude.” To which she would answer, “I don’t have an attitude.” How often do we think or say that same thing? We all have an attitude about many things. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad.
Attitude, as defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary means “a mental position with regard to a fact or state, or a feeling or emotion with/toward a fact or state.” Simply put, I think attitude is how I react to things that happen to me or around me. Sometimes I react positively, and sometimes I react negatively. But I always have an attitude.
Let’s redefine attitude to find out how God wants us to react to things that happen to us or around us. We think God always wants us to have a positive attitude to everything around us. We read Philippians 2:5, “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset (attitude) as Christ Jesus” (ESV). Wow! That’s hard. Jesus loved everyone; some people annoy me. How do I react to them positively? What can I do?
Well, yes, Jesus did love everyone. But He also did not just approve of everything they did. Many times, in the Gospels He criticized the teachers of the Law. In Matthew 23, He called the Pharisees “hypocrites,” “snakes,” and “brood of vipers” (ESV). This was as He was pronouncing seven woes upon them. It sure doesn’t sound like a positive attitude towards them to me. The difference is, Jesus was saying these things out of love for them. He still cared about them. He knew their hearts were far from Him, He did not approve of their actions, yet He still loved them enough to die for them. This is the attitude we are called to have! We are called to love and care about our fellow humans. We don’t have to approve of their actions, but we have to love them.
If the definition of attitude is how we react to people and the things around us, how can we have the same attitude as Jesus? Can we call the people around us a brood of vipers or hypocrites? We have to be sure that our motives are in the right place. And that has to be out of love for them. The Bible teaches us how to have pure motives about how we react to people in several places. Here’s just a few:
1. “Love one another” (John 13:34, ESV)
We have to have an attitude of loving each other even when we are criticizing each other. Otherwise, we are just being mean.
2. “In humility, value others above yourselves” (Phil 2:3 ESV)
If you read the context of Philippians 2, we learn that Jesus did not look out for His own interests, but for the interests of others. He spoke to the Pharisees harshly because he was concerned for them. He wanted them to learn how to really know God.
3. “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Phil. 4:8 ESV) In other words, let your attitude towards things be pure. Think about God and why He treated people as He did.
My attitude is certainly not always perfect. I lose my temper. I get frustrated. I lose patience. I have been and will always continue to work on my attitude through prayer and study. How about you? How will you work on your attitude?
For further reflection, study these verses:
James 3:18
James 4:1-12
Colossians 3:23