On this 25th day of Lent, I thought it would be a good time to check in on our attitudes.

OK, I guess I should just pick on myself and talk about MY attitude! =)

All of my life people have referred to me as….nice….sensitive….diplomatic….caring…..etc., etc……  And I am honored…..really!  I pray that there truly are some grace-filled parts of my forgiven self that exhibit such wonderful qualities.  But ask my kids, or my husband, or my close friends, and…..well…..you might get a slightly, say, “fuller” picture!    Apparently, I wear my attitudes (good and bad) on my sleeve to those I am the most unguarded with, and, though I’d like to argue the point, I must admit there is a lot of truth to that.

There’s an old saying, “Fake it ’til you make it.”  I used to HATE that saying, until…..I came face to face with that day….(and we all have them)….that day when I knew I had to be cheery and positive for the people around me who were depending on me.  But what I really wanted to do was kick the nearest trash can!  So….I forced a smile, said positive things and looked for the best in the situation, and a funny thing happened.

There was a definite shift in the ol’ attitude.  And what I had expected to be a “grin and bear it” day, actually turned into a delightful one….what a difference an attitude can make!

Now, I am NOT suggesting that we live lives full of forced smiles and fake cheeriness, but what I have found, for myself, is that when my moodier side starts to take up more real estate in my head and heart than I would like, I do have a choice.  It’s not always even discernable, but it’s always there.  I can choose to be swept away by my emotions, and let my attitude take a free-fall into selfishness (and, let’s be honest….sometimes that feels really good!)  OR, I can look for something….anything that is good in the situation, or the day to focus on, and “fake it ’til I make it.”

Some might question the authenticity of that kind of thinking, but I tend to find comfort in knowing that God has truly given me the choice to make the best of bad situations.

F-o-r    e-x-a-m-p-l-e………when I sat down to write around 45 minutes ago, all I wanted to do was go to bed.  I’m just beginning to get over a horrid head and chest cold and I had that little “mom” voice in my head that said, “just go to bed….you’re sick….no one expects you to fulfill this self-imposed Lenten blog thing anyway….your warm bed and soft pillow are just up the stairs……just forget it for one night.”    All legitimate!  I didn’t feel good, so I couldn’t imagine anything good coming out of this clogged up head tonight.  (And, well….I guess you would have to be the final judge of that! )

But now, at the end of this Day 25 entry, I’m feeling much better!  I’m glad I “faked” the first few words, and prayed for the strength (and desire) to see it to the end.  And I can officially say, there has been a vast improvement in my attitude!

So as I now get to head off to my comfy bed (with a lighter heart) I will close with these words of instruction from Philippians 4:8 regarding attitudes. =)

“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.”