Colorful Bubbles! Colorful Attitudes!
“A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.”Proverbs 17:22
I recently saw this bubble activity being done at school. It looked fun so I decided to try it with Ellie at home. It was very exciting for her and it kept her entertained for a good hour. All we did was separate bubbles into four clear containers. We then put a few drops of food color into each container. We did yellow, red, green and blue.
I unfortunately spilt blue on the carpet. Nothing a little vinegar and dish soap can’t pick up. However, next time we will do this activity outside. We decided to bring in her bubble machine for an added effect.
I watched the bubbles float in the air slowly landing on the paper and leaving a colorful display. I imagined how the world must look when we bring our attitudes into the picture. Figuratively speaking our attitudes have the power to paint a beautiful picture each day or….they have the power to paint the opposite. Jesus maintained a perfect attitude. He prayed about everything and worried about nothing. Choosing to present a positive attitude does not mean you have a perfect life. It means you choose to keep your eyes and heart set on what is above.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33
Victor E. Frankl is a Holocaust Survivor. Read what he had to say about attitude during his stay in a concentration camp…
“We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Victor teaches us that we get to choose our attitude. And no one can take that choice away. We get to choose to stay positive. When life is dark and gloomy and things are not fair or right we can choose to close our eyes and see the rainbow that Jesus is forming in the storm. We have the power to see good in each day. We have the power even when life is painful and we are broken to see and know God is at work.
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28
It began in Junior High. My negative outlook on life. I started to believe that there was nothing good for me. I wouldn’t go to college, I wasn’t cool enough for friends, there was something REALLY wrong with me, my family was too broken and there was no hope for anything good in my future. Honestly, I had began to listen to all the lies of the enemy. The enemy had me in a serious headlock for a long time. Looking back, I regret that poor outlook I had onlife. I regret believing that God had left me out of His plan. I wish I had someone who would have set me down and encouraged me to stay focused on Jesus. I really needed someone to slap some sense into me. Im sure some tried, but I just wasn’t hearing it. I really needed to hear the scripture Jeremiah 29:11 early on in Junior high. This is a scripture I didn’t read or hear until I was in my 20s.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
I missed out on so many friendships and opportunities because of my attitude. If I could go back and live it different when it comes to my attitude I would. I would use that painful time in my life as a way to bring others to Jesus. Here’s the thing I can use it now. I can use that time in my childhood to point others to the one who brought me away from a attitude that told me I had no purpose.
Ultimately our attitude is contagious. Others see our attitude and they are either encouraged or they are brought down with us. Let’s Choose to let our attitude color the world with the hope and joy we have in Jesus.
“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13
Shine4Him 