Positive Attitudes

Have you ever thought how your attitudes affect your life? The first step in seeking happiness is to learn how negative attitudes are harmful to our life and how positive attitudes are helpful. It is significant to realize that these negative attitudes are not only bad and harmful to you personally, but they are also harmful to the society around you and the future of the whole world. Christians who finds happiness in God and in others, does not distort reality to fit their wishes. True happiness is a reality and not a false impression and we cannot mold the world to fit our own expectations. A person's attitude has a direct bearing on a person's life. There is nothing more important to our physical health, mental health, social relationships and spiritual peace than the development of proper attitudes.  Good attitudes assure happiness and success in life while poor attitudes bring failures, pain and sadness. According to the Psalmist and others, happiness comes to those people who allow the living God to be Lord of their life; “Happy are the people who are in such a state; Happy are the people whose God is the LORD! Psalms 144:15 When we live by God’s Word, he washes away the deadly effects of sin and the hope of eternal life within Him gives us a joyful perspective on our present life. He who heeds the word wisely will find good, And whoever trusts in the LORD, happy is he. Proverbs 16:20

As a Christian Psychologist I have studied both the secular and spiritual approaches to happiness and success.  Although there are many books on the market dealing with improving our life, I have yet to find any teaching more powerful or profitable than the wisdom of the Bible where attitude is taught as the foundation to all our needs. The most powerful teaching in the Bible is the teaching of Jesus in the famous "sermon on the mount" where He defines eight attitudes that actually work. These were the first teaching that Jesus shared with His disciples in order to deal with attitudes. Jesus had begun in each Attitude with the word “Blessed” in the King James translation. The Greek word for “Blessed” means “Happy” or “Fortunate”. According to Jesus these eight attitudes are what make true happiness and success.  Human experience and behavioral science confirms this to be true.

We are going to look at these eight attitudes to learn how each has a great impact on our life and how they are so relevant and up to date with our current situation that one would suspect they were written today instead of 2,000 years ago. But when we realize that Jesus was God in human flesh, we understand that He knows human nature “Temperament” and human need to be the same for human beings no matter in what era we live. The eight attitudes as defined by Jesus are humility, mournfulness, modesty, ambitiousness, compassion, sincerity, peacekeeping and perseverance. The promise for adopting these attitudes in our personal life and expressing them in our human relationships is a personal happiness and success. Let’s read the Gospel according to St. Matthew 5:1-12 (NKJV) “1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:3 “ Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Your attitudes will determine your destiny between success and failure. Jesus taught these foundations on which a happy and prosperous life can be established. The attitude of humble submission to the laws of life begins the journey toward peace and happiness. Mournful admission to our personal need and modesty in accepting help from God and others puts us in a position to receive healing. Realistic and honorable motives that seek for the better things of life assure our personal fulfillment while sensitivity to the needs of others can help assure their fulfillment as well. Sincerity, honesty and makers of peace promise fellowship with God. With that blessing in place, our perseverance toward God will overcome any persecution that would try to hinder our journey toward an eternal reward that waits God's faithful children. With positive attitudes, we are winners indeed.