Let’s face it we live in a society of very impatient people and many of them have very bad attitudes! You sit at a light too long and somebody is going to blow their horn at you, you accidentally bump someone trying to get around them and you get an angry glare. Children are disrespectful and demanding, not all, but a lot. This is no longer a gentle society. Very few people want to take the time, and if they do they let you know they don’t like it!

I personally hate if I find myself being inpatient or having a bad attitude, I do not want to be that way and I make every effort to be very aware of how I am treating others, regardless of how they treat me. There are some very important Scriptures pertaining to patience & attitude, let’s look at some.

1 Corinthians 13:4-5 ”Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”

Ephesians 4:2” Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

Romans 12:12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Colossians 3:12 “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”

Galatians 6:9 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Is your love patient? Kind? Self -Seeking or easily angered? Are you joyful? Are you companionate, humble, gentle? Do you get quickly wearied when doing for others? Do you boast about how great you are, or what you have accomplished? Do you keep a record of wrongs, or are you instantly forgiving; even when an “I am sorry” is not forthcoming?

These are questions I have asked myself and you need to ask yourself. We are to have the attitude of Christ, we are to treat others as he treated them, he commands us in his word to love others as we love ourselves. Do you, do I? Do the behaviors we have on display each and every day draw others to Christ or do they give him a “black eye” to those watching. Jesus can draw people to himself without us, but many times he uses us. Are you a tool he can trust to behave in a way that sheds a positive, holy light on Christ and your relationship with him?

We all have a bad day, maybe we were not as loving, forgiving, patient as we should have been, but this should be the exception, not the norm. I am not perfect, LOL and many of you say, “you got that right sister”, but I am very aware that I am representing my Lord, on a moment by moment basis and just maybe someone is watching. Does your walk make being a Christian look like a good thing or a not so good thing to a dying world? When we act like the world, why would they feel the need to be any different then they are? Maybe it is the time we dole out more patience with people, show a little more love and kindness and be the first to forgive a wrong and do our best to make it right.

Maybe as you looked at these words you felt shame or conviction because you know that you have failed in one or all areas, the good news is this; you can tell the Lord you are sorry, you can ask him to forgive you, to empower you by his Holy Spirit to have the attitude of Christ, his love is long-suffering, patient and good. His word tells me that we have new mercies every day, I see each new day as another chance to get it right. The greatest thing we can do for our family, for those who are watching us, for our world that is perishing, is live like Jesus did, love like Jesus did, forgive like Jesus does, and be the difference! It can start with a simple smile instead of a scowl…