Unpleasant. Unthankful. Angry. Confused. Those four words perfectly described my attitude. It’s not like I wanted this to be what defined me. I didn’t set out for this. Circumstances took place and one thing led to another and before I knew it, I was miserable. Something happened, though. It wasn’t earth shattering, but enough to get me thinking. What if it wasn’t so bad? Sure, things don’t always go our way, but that doesn’t mean we should let those circumstances control our attitude for the day, week, month, and so on. Happiness is a choice, and it’s high time we acted like it.
I’m not writing this to say that we should walk around like a bunch of fakers who think that slapping a smile across our face will make everything better. I’m all about honesty and living in reality – the reality that life hurts and tears are a physical sign of the pain within. But a grumpy attitude and Eeyore-like mentality have the power to bring down any good situation.
About a year ago I was struggling with what God wanted me to do in life: did He want me to stay in my current job or move back home to be closer to family? Was “Mr. Right” ever going to come along? What exactly were my gifts and talents? Was I using them in all the ways I should be?
As I wrestled with these questions, I was in a pretty bad mood because I felt like God wasn’t answering my prayers. In fact, I basically got to a point where I was sick of praying because there was no answer. And that’s when it clicked: God had so incredibly blessed me, and I was missing it because of my bad attitude. Instead of waking up grateful, I was waking up grumpy. Instead of being an encourager, I was bringing people down with my pessimistic way of thinking.
Was I frustrated that a few specific things in my life weren’t going my way? Absolutely! However, I decided several months ago to simply be happy. Does this mean I wake up every single day with a smile on face, ready to face the day’s challenges? Nope! There are days when I just can’t even and simply don’t want to put forth the effort. Even if you’ve been praying about that “specific something” for a while and there is still no answer, believe me, our heavenly Father hears your prayers. So, in the waiting, choose to be happy and see how it affects your outlook. Be an encourager, focus on others, and remember that it’s all about bringing Him glory.
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