It’s All About Attitude:

There are some days when it is hard to get up and run.   There can be days when it is hot and humid, or there can be days when it is cold and dreary and either one doesn’t sound pleasant to run in.  As runners, we should be able and ready to run in pretty much anything (maybe not a huge thunderstorm-safety) However, this doesn’t mean we are mentally or emotionally ready for any type of running.  

My mom (gave me permission to use this story) is a great runner.  She is the one who taught me to run.  However, recently, we did a 10k on vacation.  (yes, this is a very me and my mom thing to do).  My mom did not have the best attitude to start when it came to this race.  She woke up and said, “I don’t want to do this.”  I won’t lie-this made me laugh.  It was incredibly hot and humid, and if we remembered anything about the race previously, then we knew it was going to be hilly.  After the race was over, my mom will say this was her worst race ever.  She felt terrible and she didn’t enjoy it at all. 

This reminds me of many verses in the Bible including, Philippians 2:14-16, which says, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run labor in vain.”  We should have a good attitude and shouldn’t be spending a lot of time grumbling or complaining.  

This attitude can be the biggest factor when it comes to our running.  Honestly, regardless of whatever activity you are doing, attitude can be one of the biggest contributing factors.  This can be the same attitude when we go to school or when we do any of our other sports.  We need to have a good attitude for anything we do, so we can be good stewards of God’s Word.  There are just some people who showcase joy, even when doing something incredibly simple.  For example, I went to Walgreens recently, and the cashier was incredibly kind and sweet.  You can tell he was filled with joy.  I suppose I don’t know his religious preferences, but from the way He showcases joy, I was challenged to live with a more joyful attitude. 

There are some things I don’t have a good attitude about, and it can really show in how well I do or how crabby I can get during this activity. One example is once a month I work at a store downtown.  Sometimes this can be fun.  There can be times when it is busy and there are a lot of people needing my assistance.  However, there are other times when it is kind of boring and there are not many people who are stopping by the store.  Those are the days when those four hours seem to take forever.  I try to keep myself occupied, but it can be difficult. One thing I have learned though is looking at the clock and being bored and not having a good attitude does not help the time pass by quicker.   On some of these days, I am definitely not acting like the Walgreens cashier who was showcasing joy.  

We have a great example in Jesus. There weren’t definitely things he probably was not super excited about. He went on a fast for forty days and forty nights. There was no way this was something easy to do.  However, He was the one to go to this place and experience the temptations.   He brought himself to this position in order to show His people they can depend on Him.  He has experienced pain and suffering and trials, but yet He showed joy and contentment with what He had even when at the time it was very little. 

The challenge for the week is to be reflective of the times when we don’t have a good attitude.  This could be about exercise.  This could be about work.  This could even be when we are serving and volunteering.  There are a few things that can be incredibly challenging and make us want to grumble.  However, to be more and more like Jesus, we can show what it is like to fully live with joy and contentment, even when it is hard.  

The second challenge also is to encourage one another.  Sometimes we just need a friend to be there and to encourage us in not grumbling or complaining.  We just need some friends or family members to remind us of the good things we have and the joy we can see in life.  Be this encouragement for a friend or family member.  This way it can be easier for everyone to live with a better attitude.