Posts Tagged: keeping a sweet attitude
KEEPING A SWEET ATTITUDE IN DIFFICULT SITUATIONS
Keeping a sweet attitude in difficult situations is not easy. However, it is very important.
Last night, the dish guy didn’t show up to work his shift. My manager made a bunch of calls, but nobody could/would come in.
So, I volunteered. Fortunately, I had only worked at that job for an hour, when my manager pulled me off. “We need you on the floor, serving,” he said. I didn’t argue! I have a lot more appreciation for dish people now.
Sure enough, we were very busy in the dining room, with a lot of guests. The whole evening was like that, until about forty-five minutes before closing time, when we went fairly dead.
Then, there was a massive amount of bussing, out-work, and silverware to do. By the time this sixty-five-year-old body was out the door at 10:20, it was aching from the waist down.
But I think (hope?) that I kept a sweet attitude in all this. That is important for a number of reasons.
A sweet attitude honors the guests. They should be made to feel appreciated, no matter how busy or stressful or chaotic things are for me/us. Who knows what they are going through? Perhaps they’ve recently lost a loved one or a job, maybe they are struggling with depression, or they may have just had a really stressful day themselves. A caring and calm attitude on my part may help turn their evenings around.
A sweet attitude may be helpful to my fellow food service folks. Getting out of sorts with guests, with my coworkers, or myself is dishonoring to those I work with. Just as with our guests, I don’t know what they are struggling with, either. I know my own problems and struggles. I should suspect that my coworkers have their own problems and struggles, which may be far worse than my own little issues.
A sweet attitude honors myself. I feel worse when I become stressed and crabby. Why should I do something that makes me feel even worse?
Finally, keeping a sweet attitude honors God. If God lovingly accepts me as I am, with all my past horrendous sins and crimes against humanity, if God lovingly accepts me now, with all my only-too-real failings, then why shouldn’t my attitude be sweet?
Oh, don’t get me wrong: It isn’t easy. It isn’t for me, and it isn’t for you. Sweet fruit is not native to my personal climate. It probably takes a lot of cultivation and nurturing in your soul-garden as well. The only thing I can do is to continually pray that God will nurture a sweet spirit within me, and expect God to come through. But the desire to have a sweet spirit is at least a beginning.
DOWN TO EARTH BELIEVER
- “Even a Sliver of Light” April 9, 2024“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:6, English Standard Version) I missed the total eclipse yesterday. There were a number of good reasons for this, but […]
- “The Process in Miracles and the Miracle of Process” March 11, 2024“2 Kings 5:1 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. 2 Now the Syrians on one of their raids […]
- “The Power of Encouragement—Even for Old People” March 10, 2024“But encourage each other every day while it is ‘today.’ Help each other so none of you will become hardened because sin has tricked you.” (Hebrews 3:13, New Century Version) Yesterday, I was walking at a nearby park. There was a large group of young people some of whom were running while other young people […]
- “Endurance” March 10, 2024“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” (Hebrews 10:36, English Standard Version) “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us […]
- “The Limits of Non-Judgmentalism” February 24, 2024“Matt. 7:1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. Matt. 7:2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2, English Standard Version) This morning, in my virtual 12-step meeting, we discussed the topic of judgmentalism. There were many wise […]
- “Delighting in Being Told What to Do?!?” February 23, 2024“Psa. 112:1 Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! 2 His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures […]
- “Character is the Real Lesson” January 19, 2024I am often confused about what lesson I’m really supposed to be learning. For example, this morning I was trying to knock out several Spanish lessons. My intentions were a lot better than my internet connection. I’ve done three lessons. Or rather, I’ve done two lessons. One of them I did twice because the internet […]
- “The Year of Becoming Un-Planked” January 1, 2024Each year, I try to come up with one word or a short phrase for what I intend to work on in the upcoming year. 2024 is “The Year of Becoming Un-Planked”. What?!! What does that even mean? So glad that you asked! Jesus said to his disciples, “Why do you look at the speck […]
- “Searching for the Noble One” December 26, 2023My wife and I were reading Luke, chapter 2 on Christmas Day. Luke 2 talks about the shepherds being told to look for this very special child—in fact, this King—in a stable. I prefer the word “barn”. I grew up on a farm. I know what a barn is. A stable is entirely too biblical […]
- “That Don’t Impress God Much” December 14, 2023DTEB, “That Don’t Impress God Much” “That Don’t Impress Me Much” (Song by Robert John Lange and Shania Twain) Micah 6:8 (MSG) “But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be […]
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