An Attitude of Gratitude - part 1

Ecclesiastes 10: 12 (Message)

Wise thinking leads to right living, stupid thinking leads to wrong living.

Ecclesiastes 10: 12 (NJKV)

The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool shall swallow him up.

Mothers of Nations, every day you and I make choices about living our life to the fullest. One of the greatest “influencers” of those choices that we make is our attitude.

Our theme for this series of entries is “An Attitude of Gratitude.”  So first of all, let’s look at a definition of “attitude.” What is ATTITUDE?

•  A settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a person’s behavior.
•  Synonyms for “attitude” would be viewpoint, way of thinking, perspective, conviction, sentiment. 

Our attitude comes from our thinking, but it also comes from our heart as well. The challenges of life and issues of the heart play a large factor in the perspective of our attitude and the choices we make in our daily living. 

It is important to remember that our attitude determines our altitude. Just how close do we want to get to God? How mindful and intentional are we in representing Him to the world and to the people in our sphere of influence?

Why would the Word of God admonish us to develop wise thinking and speak with gracious words? I believe the Lord urges us to make godly choices in living our lives to the fullest because of the very benefits of doing so! These benefits can include:

•  Less stress
•  Less depression
•  Better impulse control
•  More happiness
•  More positivity
•  Better health: physical, emotional, spiritual
•  Stronger immune system
•  Healthier relationships
•  More empathy
•  Better sleep

Taking all of this into consideration, our challenge with the choices we make is this:  To travel the “high road” and develop an attitude of gratitude toward all that comes our way on a daily basis.

Next week we will continue our discussion. I would challenge you this week to be sensitive to the choices you daily make that influence your attitude for that day. Did you choose to complain about something or did you turn that choice into something positive? Have a blessed week!

Dr. Sharon Predovich