3 Steps to Fix a Bad Attitude

Rachel Britton

9 years ago

God, are you asking me to fix my…bad attitude?

Admitting to myself I have a bad attitude, and revealing to it other people is difficult to do. I did not want to write about it. In fact, I started to compose a blog post about another aspect of my life I thought needed to be put right. But, every time I asked God what he wanted me to fix, the word attitude kept popping into my mind.

I can pinpoint an occasion last week where I had a stinky attitude. I grumbled. I was intolerant, and I passed blame onto other people.

Unfortunately, it stemmed from me saying yes when I should have said no.

My yes had three repercussions:

1. I had a bad attitude towards God.

I sensed God telling me I should say “no” to the request for help from a friend. But, guess what? I ignored God, and did what I wanted. I said “yes.” When we don’t do what God wants, the Bible calls it sin. So many stories in the Bible are about people who have had a wrong attitude towards God. For instance, right at the beginning of time, Adam and Eve disregarded God’s instruction. We’re still suffering the consequences.

2. I had a bad attitude toward others.

I made a decision without God, which led me down a path of complications not only for myself but for my friend, for my husband, and for my daughter who I had roped in to help with the project. I was up to my neck in deep water—trying to stay afloat. Things did not going smoothly. What should have been a simple job turned out to be a complex and a time-consuming undertaking not just for me, but for everyone involved. Then, instead of looking at the source of my problem, I started to blame other people—their attitude, their incompetence, and their selfishness. I muttered and moaned. In the Bible, the Israelites spent forty years wandering in the wilderness, whining and grumbling, because what should have been simple obedience turned into unyielding disobedience.

3. I had a bad attitude with myself.

I got annoyed with myself for ending up in a complicated situation. I disliked myself for what I had done. I tossed and turned in the middle of the night because not only had I let down my friend, I had tarnished the reputation of my husband, my daughter, and myself.

There is a lot to learn from a bad attitude. We need to:

Listen instead of lecture. It’s all too easy to disregard God’s instruction, to tell God what we’re going to do, and then expect his blessing on it.
Let go instead of latch on. We need to ask God for forgiveness and then move on, instead of dwelling on what could have been. We may still have to deal with the aftermath, but God in his goodness will provide us with what we need to do so. Remember how he clothed Adam and Eve and provided manna for the Israelites in the wilderness.
Love instead of lash out. It’s so easy to point the finger at the other person, but God requires us to only show love in all situations.

Listen instead of lecture. Let go instead of latch on. Love instead of lash out.

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