This may seem pretty basic for most of you, but I find there is a recurring issue in my life, so I thought I’d blog about it. Here’s my observation: I tend to wake up in the morning with a “bent” or an “attitude.” Before reading the Bible, praying, checking my schedule, or even initiating a conversation, I somehow set the tone of the day with an attitude. It’s usually positive, but more often than I’d like, it’s not. It’s an attitude that’s “seeking conflict,” not physically, but emotionally or conversationally. I have my “antenna” on high alert, constantly looking for something to criticize. Can you relate?
I find myself in a dilemma that Paul describes in Romans 7. Whether he was referring to his current predicament or his past experiences, I can relate to his description. Romans 7:15 says “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”
If you find yourself living a life of constant conflict, like I do, you might find the Apostle Paul’s solution helpful. Romans 7:24-25 “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ “preempts” my bad attitude. So, my morning conversation with God is starting with a prayer of humility and submission, “LORD, I bend my knee to you and your plan today. Lead me in the way I should go.” It’s simple and sometimes challenging, but it has a substantial impact on my daily life.