“It’s a good day for my bad attitude!” If that slogan’s speaking your language right about now, perhaps you should consider joining me this week to discover what the Bible says about attitudes. Could be a ‘tude adjustment is in order!

Rude ‘Tude

“Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. …He humbled himself in obedience to God.”

Philippians 2:3-5,8 NLT

Sometimes our behavior as children of the King is so unattractive that we block God’s love from shining through us.

One day, I inadvertently cut in line at a fast food restaurant drive-thru. There were two drive-up lanes and one was practically empty, so I drove straight up to the short one. The next thing I knew, some irate guy had screeched his big pick-up truck to a stop, jumped out, and was running up to my car yelling his head off!

My first instinct was to put up the window, now! Next, decide whether or not to even look at this dude. Ok, I looked. When I cracked the window a tiny bit to acknowledge him, he shouted, “Don’t be rude, Stupid; the line starts back there”! I looked back to where he was pointing and suddenly realized I had cut in line. Oops! It never entered my mind that the way these customers were lining up was everybody in one long line until they got close enough to choose a left or right split-off. I was used to a single lane drive-thru. I was also very embarrassed and unable to go around because other cars had pulled up behind mine and there was nothing left to do but proceed to the window.

Mr. Angry Pants was still seething at my driver’s window so I shouted, “I’m sorry I cut in line, I didn’t realize that’s what I was doing when I pulled over here, but calling me stupid is rude too!” He stormed back to his truck, in a huff, and moved through the other line. As he pulled off a little while later, I noticed that he had a Jesus fish on the back of his truck! I had embarrassingly cut in line. He had gotten angry. Suffice it to say, neither one of us was feeling the love or showing it! Through our self-centeredness we had both blocked the light of God’s love with our rude ‘tudes.

Read today’s Dose verse. As a part of the body of Christ, we don’t have to behave rudely towards others. We have the power of the Holy Spirit to make godly choices in our behaviors, behaviors that reflect a humble and loving attitude, suitable for building godly relationships with others. Love is not rude (1 Cor. 13:5).

When we surrender our will to that of the Holy Spirit, we can love others according to God’s command. Is your ‘tude rude?

Losing’ the rude,

Rita