Put a Smile on My Face

I've mentioned before that we are reading (and studying) this book on Wednesday nights in a ladies Bible class. The author brought out one thing that threw me in this last chapter. I'm sure you've seen this verse if you've been a Christian for any time at all:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

I have, many times. I have a pretty good understanding of what it refers to as I'm sure most of you do. In short, we're supposed to train ourselves to turn away from sinful things and focus on Godly things. But she extended the traditional definition some.

She pointed out that this is not the kind of thinking that allows for a semi-permanent bad mood or grumpiness. Our teacher (or facilitator or whatever she might call herself) played a selection from a Joyce Meyer conference that went along with this chapter pretty well. She talked about how we work ourselves into a bad mood.

One example -- we get all worked up about how our husband should have the laundry folded while we're out doing errands knowing that history shows he won't have even thought of it. By the time we fume about it the whole time we're running errands and get home, we are in a mighty funk. We're so irritated that as soon as we find out he didn't, we either lay into him or go into silent treatment mode. Does that sound vaguely familiar? Hey, I said 'we.' I'm not leaving me out. I'm not saying he shouldn't have thought of it. But I have now come to the conclusion that you can't change anything by being in a bad mood. And, quite honestly, in those kind of situations, I just don't think men in general notice stuff like that -- something that we can change for our son's wives by training them to notice it.

But that isn't the point. How is thinking about someone as inconsiderate or lazy or worthless thinking on things that are noble or true or lovely or pure? How is complaining about life in general thinking about what is admirable or right?

I have to admit -- that hit me hard. And square between the eyes. I fall very easily into that martyr's attitude. I find myself complaining and thinking badly about everything and everyone, particularly my loved ones. So, it was very humbling to realize that I wasn't at all doing what that verse said when I thought I was doing a grand old job of following it well. I thought I was fighting Satan and it turns out that he's been riding my shoulder and whispering in my ear the whole time.

I've decided that I need to work on this. One of my favorite things to hear when someone asks, "How are you?" is the answer, "Too blessed to be depressed." I think I need to program that into my attitudes. If I really know that I am exceptionally blessed (and I am) then I need to stop complaining and being depressed when things don't fit into my idea of how they should and when people don't meet the expectations I placed on them but didn't inform them of and had no right to put on them in the first place. I need to count my blessings until I have no choice but to be contagious with my good attitude.

And maybe, just maybe, I'll honor God and make others wonder about getting that for themselves. But even if I don't, honoring God and the way He has lavished His love on me is reason enough.