Imagine if you didn’t change your clothes for thirty years. You wore the same thing. You never washed them. They would be dirty, and you would stink. Nobody would want to be around you. It’s the same way with our attitude. An old sarcastic attitude will drive people away. A sour attitude will keep you from being promoted. A stinking attitude will stop your dreams from coming to pass.
I knew a man who always complained and found fault with his employer. He constantly challenged policies and was contentious, even though the management was good to him and everyone else in his department loved the company. He kept doing things his own way and was finally let go, losing his prominent position. Then he went to work for another company and did the same thing with the same results. One day security escorted him out of the building and he wasn’t allowed back on the property. A bad attitude will follow you around. You can change jobs, thinking other people are the problem, but sometimes we have to look inside and see if we’re the problem.
The apostle Paul said, “Be constantly renewed in the spirit of you mind, putting on a fresh mental and spiritual attitude” (Ephesians 4:23). He was saying that every day you need to put on a fresh, new attitude. If you don’t start anew, you’ll bring all the negative from yesterday into today. You do that week after week and before long, you’ll be critical, condescending, negative, seeing the worst. “I don’t like my job. This traffic is terrible. My house is too small. I’ll never get well.” That is an old attitude, and it doesn’t smell good. Some people haven’t put on a new attitude for years. They wonder why everything is a burden, why it’s so heavy. It’s their attitude.
When you wake up each morning, you need to say, “Father, thank You that this day is a gift. Thank You that You’ve surrounded me with favor. Everything may not be perfect, but I know You’re on the throne. I am grateful to be alive, grateful for my family, grateful for today’s opportunities. I’m going to make the most of this day.” That’s not just being positive, that’s putting on a fresh, new attitude. You get rid of anything from yesterday that’s weighing you down and wipe the slate clean. Let go of the disappointments, let go of what didn’t work out, and get your mind going in the right direction. “I’m going to see the good today. I’m going to be kind to others. I’m going to stay in faith and enjoy this day.” You keep that up and you’ll see God show out in your life.