Today’s devotional is written by Lori Steinkamp Lassen. She is our only daughter, who has been married to her husband, Scott for 27 years. Lori is the mother of four children, and has worked with the ministry for many years. May her devotional deepen your spiritual walk with the Lord. – Charlyne
As the mother of four kids, it was not uncommon to have frequent conversations about attitudes in our house. The Lord blessed us with our first three kids close together. We had twins followed by another child just 16 months later. The oldest three have always been the best of friends, but when they were younger, we had some challenges.
It felt like we were raising triplets, so it was if there wasn’t an older child in the group to reason with. If one child was frustrated, the others followed. It was easy to find one person’s attitude impacting the whole family. My husband and I noticed that happened even if there was disharmony in our relationship. Our attitudes can be contagious.
The Bible has a lot to say about our attitudes. I found myself sharing these scriptures with a child many times, reminding them how the Lord wants us to treat our spouse, parents, siblings, even our enemies.
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” – which is the first commandment with a promise – “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Ephesians 6:1-3
A fool spurns his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence. Proverbs 22:15
Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right. Proverbs 20:11
Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. 1 Thessalonians 5:15
Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared. Proverbs 22:24-25
It is so easy to allow the pressures of daily life to justify a bad attitude. You may have had a bad day at work or are feeling stress because of things happening behind the scenes with your marriage. Before you know it, you are lashing out at your kids, and they have no idea why. Just as we take time to remind our children about their attitudes, we need also to remind ourselves.
When you are in the midst of a battle, it seems Satan will throw everything your way at once. You may justify your attitude by saying, “Look at what is happening in my family! You can’t blame me for my attitude.” It may be time to step back and give yourself an attitude check. Even during a battle, you have to show your kids and others around you that you can still have joy.
It is amazing how the family is impacted when mom and dad are not in unison. Even if you do your best to keep disagreements behind closed doors, those around you can usually sense the tension. When dealing with angry people, the advice given is to stay calm and lower your voice. The person you are speaking with will usually do the same involuntarily. How would your home change if you started leading the way with a peaceful and joyful attitude? Do you think your family members would mimic your good attitude?
Today, will you do an attitude check on yourself? If you feel the pressure of the circumstances you face, lay that at the foot of the cross and let Jesus carry that burden.
If you need to apologize to your spouse or other family members, do that right away. Don’t let the anger or frustration you are feeling grow.
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1
Just as your family notices a bad attitude, they will be just as aware of a new perspective. Today is a new day!
God bless,
