Attitude check…
Finally, brothers and sisters, 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
Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind. William James
Attitude is something that Paths of Joy will feature regularly as it affects so much that we think, say, and do. Our attitude is something that we can choose to foster, regardless of the circumstances. When I’m hiking uphill, I can choose to whine and moan about how hard it is to ascend a mountain trail or I can think about the potential view of the final destination and how easy it will be to descend the mountain on the way back. I can consider how I’m blessed to be healthy enough to hike and carry a pack. I can stop and notice the natural beauty around me (ha, also a good excuse for breaks). I can be grateful that I have the time to get outside and have an adventure. I can savor the time with friends; hiker tip…it’s especially great when you get them talking while you climb a hill!
Our attitude in spiritual matters is even more important. Do we joyfully anticipate time with God as we spend time in His Presence? Do we truly praise our Lord when singing praise, worship, or hymn music? Do we enjoy serving and ministering to others, seeing it as an opportunity to share the love that God has so abundantly shared with us? Bottom line is that a good attitude is necessary for healthy growth in faith. Yes, we will have troubles, but we have our loving Father God with us every step of the way so we can choose to be joyful, recognizing the abundant blessings He has provided.
So, my friends, in the interest of working on having a good attitude towards winter, I’m going to ask you to PLEASE comment in the box at the bottom of this post. I know that many of you are hesitant to type a comment, but PLEASE support and encourage myself and each other. Even now, at least some of you are dealing with extremely difficult winter weather in the Midwest and East.
Since counting blessings truly helps one to stay positive, just a quick comment as to one of the things that you like about winter. Anyhow, I’ll start with a positive winter comment…
I like winter because there are no mosquitoes around for several months!