Attitude Protection

It is amazing how quickly Christmas has come around again. I literally feels like last month I was taking down the lights on the house and putting the tree up in the attic.
There is no doubt Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. My kids love it too. They love the fact they get out of school and have lots of fun things to do with school and church activities. But those same activities they love can add another level of busyness on our already crazy schedule. From Christmas shopping to school activities we stay pretty busy. With that busy schedule my attitude can get a little on edge. One of my constant challenges is found in Philippians 2:5. This verse reads, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” This is my goal in life, but it is a goal I often fall short of.

Recently I was reading a book called “Refuel” by Doug Fields that gave me a great heads up on how to protect my attitude. You see my attitude can go south at the drop of a ornament from the Christmas tree. I can change channels so quick I don’t even realize I did. The main culprit of my attitude can always be traced back to an empty spiritual tank. You see I tend to get so busy I miss out on that time with God and allowing him to just fill me with His attitude, patience and love for people. Fields points out several warning signs for us to keep our eye out for during this Christmas season to make sure we stay spiritually full so we enjoy this season and not dread it.

Here is a short list of just a few warning signs you can look for in your life:
- I’m more selfish with my time
- I’m impatient
- I lack compassion for those hurting
- I’m more vulnerable to temptation
- I begin to act like I deserve certain things
- I’m short with people
- I’m disobedient
- I feel distant from God
- I’m cynical
- I find it more difficult to make good decisions
- My insecurities are more prevalent
- I begin to look to others to fill voids that I know only God can fill
- I’m critical-in speech as well as thought

Chances are as you are looking at this list there are several that you see as prominent signs of your spiritual tank being empty. My two are being cynical and critical. When I notice myself being more cynical and critical I realize I need some Jesus time. I need to focus on time with Him in order to protect my attitude during a hectic time of the year. But honestly this is a year around warning for me.

So how can you protect your attitude this season? I know for me it is filling my spiritual tank with as much of Jesus as possible. So today why don’t we make sure we don’t miss out on filling up that tank. Let’s make sure our attitude is the same as Jesus’. Find time to fill your tank today. It will make life more enjoyable for you and for those around you.

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