Have you ever had someone tell you, “You got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?” When I was younger and displayed an aura of grouchiness around my mom, she would say this to me. This was a nice way of her saying my attitude stunk and I needed to fix it or she would fix it for me.
There are a lot of people in this world that wake up some mornings in a foul mood. When this happens they are more likely to try and spread their nasty attitudes to others until they meet someone that grabs their attention. This someone could be a parent, a spouse, a superior, or a good friend who is not afraid of confronting them and bringing them back into reality.
Many times we are going to experience dealing with negative attitudes. This type attitude from a person is going to focus on everyone’s faults except their own. They will point out shortcomings of others with off the wall comments, pessimistic attitudes, and in a lot of cases, frowns. Their viewpoints are going to assume the worst in any situation instead of looking from an optimistic outlook.
Negative attitudes can be disguised by using humor or sarcasm but the results are going to be the same. Someone is going to be hurt by being or feeling put down. No one likes this but most of us have experienced it.
How do you handle a negative attitude? According to the Bible the Apostle Paul tells us in Galatians 6:1, “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” Approach the situation through prayer. Be humble in your speech using wisdom and a tactful response.
Being in newspaper management for over 30 years, I have had to handle negative attitudes many times. Dealing with employees and the public, situations are going to arise that have to be handled delicately, prayerfully, and with patience. God has blessed me so many times giving me the wisdom to handle these problems fairly and with firmness. Not everything has gone the way I wanted it, but it worked out for the best for all concerned.
Treating people with respect even though their attitudes are subpar will gain their attention and allow a quicker solution to whatever the problem is. Now when I was young and my attitude stunk, my brothers had a solution of pushing, shoving, and name calling; however, when my mom got involved our problems became solved quickly. We all respected her and her wisdom and also her command to stop the foolishness or suffer the consequences.
When we pray about our problems and ask God for solutions, whether it is concerning our personal needs or dealing with others, He will answer us and guide us in what we need to do. The Bible tells us in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
Prayer
Thank you Lord for the opportunity of talking with you anytime and anywhere. I pray that you will always guide me in my thoughts and give me wisdom to speak as you would want me to. Amen.
Suggested Readings
Sunday – James 3:13-18
Monday – Proverbs 17:22-28
Tuesday – Philippians 2:14-16
Wednesday – Job 10:13-17
Thursday – Hebrews 11:1
Friday – Psalm 118:22-24
Saturday – Romans 12:9-16
