I Love My Attitude Problem

One day last week I had a crummy attitude, and I liked it. It happened on a visit to Facebook. On the right side of my home page Facebook suggested I contact a friend I hadn't talked to in a while to "make Facebook a better experience for her." I retorted with a status update, "Maybe Facebook should tell her to pick up the phone or email me once in a while!"

Sometimes sharing my unhappy heart with everyone on Facebook is enough to get it out of my system. But for other times, I started two journals - one for grievances and another for gratitude. Now I can release my crummy thoughts and counteract them with thanksgiving. I'm using Ephesians 4:31-32 as my guide:

"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you."

Another tool I discovered is the Prayer of Examen, a spiritual practice attributed to St. Ignatius of Loyola. This technique invites me to reflect on the presence of God as well as my heart attitude, gratitude, and activities of the last 24 hours. It begs to be coined "careful what you pray for" as God uncovers where I fall short and challenges me to change, but I'm willing to take my chances.

So do I really love my attitude problem? Not really. Perhaps "I invite change for my attitude problem" is a more accurate statement.

"What really matters is what happens in us, not to us."

~ James W. Kennedy