Checking Our Attitude at the Door

 

Certain businesses provide a service where individuals can check their coat at the door for safekeeping while they are inside. In the same way, we must learn to check our attitude at the door of our mouth to avoid offending those around us. When a person cops an attitude and allows it to control their disposition, it can easily become a way of life.

My wife and I raised three children, which was certainly a challenge at times. We tried our best to instill honesty, decency, and unwavering integrity—especially in regard to treating others with respect.

The Golden Rule teaches us to treat people the way we want to be treated: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

One of the greatest challenges we faced as parents was when our children tried to cop an attitude with us. Snide or inappropriate remarks that reflected disrespect or rebellion were not tolerated in our household. We believed in nipping that behavior in the bud, with the help of God Almighty.

If any of our children failed to correct their attitude, they would forfeit certain privileges. A rebellious attitude and unchecked brashness affect everyone involved. Unruly conduct disrupts healthy communication and creates problems for all concerned. When bad attitudes are allowed to continue, they negatively affect a person’s disposition and become a destructive pattern of thinking.

It takes discipline to resist the temptation to wear one’s feelings on their sleeve. Yielding to this habit often leads to inappropriate and aggressive behavior—something we’ve all observed in people who lack the peace of God. When a person cops an attitude, it affects them emotionally and can even have physical consequences.

We believed it was harmful to allow this behavior to fester. Correcting our children in love was necessary. Permitting continued rebellion would have done them a disservice. If they were allowed to cop an attitude while growing up without correction, those behaviors could have developed into harmful habits later in life.

Children naturally test boundaries—it’s part of growing up. However, when bad attitudes are allowed to form and go unchecked, they can quickly take root, especially when children are permitted to throw temper tantrums instead of being taught self-control.

Helping children recognize their shortcomings and temporarily suspending activities or privileges—when done in love and discipline—produces obedience over time. Holding children accountable is not punishment for its own sake; it is guidance. In our experience, imposing reasonable restrictions was effective.

God does the same with His children. He establishes boundaries that are not meant to be crossed. When obedience is practiced, life becomes more productive and joyful. On the spectrum of wholesome living, a bad attitude stands in direct opposition to kindness. Our desire was to raise our children with this understanding—and by God’s grace, it worked.

Hebrews 12:5–11 reminds us that the Lord disciplines those He loves. Though correction may be painful for a moment, it ultimately produces the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

Petty attitudes—such as becoming angry over a neighbor’s leaves blowing onto your yard or holding resentment because they painted their house a color you don’t like—can destroy relationships. Scripture instructs us to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37–39).

Copping an attitude with God is also unwise. We are told to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Our attitude and the way we express it matter deeply to Him.

The Lord desires what is best for us, yet many people cannot see the forest for the trees. They focus only on their immediate desires and overlook God’s long-term plan. Like children, we sometimes point the finger at God when we don’t get our way, asking “Why?” while failing to recognize our own shortcomings. Yet He loves us with an everlasting love.

God loves us even more than we love our own children. He corrects us because He knows what we need most. When we cop an attitude toward family members, coworkers, neighbors, or God Himself, how can we expect to minister effectively while harboring resentment within?

As Christians, we have been given a heart of flesh instead of stone. We are guided by the Holy Spirit, set free from the bondage of sin, and made joint heirs with Christ. Why, then, should we cling to attitudes that do not reflect Christ?

When anger is not surrendered to God immediately, patience begins to unravel. Irritation sets in, and everything seems to rub us the wrong way. Victory fades, spiritual stability weakens, and Christlike responses are replaced by frustration.

A troubled mindset, when allowed to fester, diminishes our ability to walk by faith. Consequences and correction—guided by the Holy Spirit—are often necessary to restore balance.

God gets our attention in many ways. Sometimes He allows circumstances that shake our foundation so we can finally see His love and providence at work. He is not a harsh God; He is loving and desires that we walk in His ways so we may experience victory.

Holding grudges or withholding forgiveness limits what God can do through us. Oil and water do not mix. A bad attitude can cause a ministry to stagnate, cutting off the flow of living water from God’s throne. We must confess our faults and serve in the power of the Holy Spirit without harboring resentment.

As Matthew 5:23–24 teaches, reconciliation comes before offering our gift to God.

We must keep our attitudes in check while serving as God’s outstretched hands to a world searching for peace. People need Jesus far more than they need bad attitudes.

www.wordsfrompapa.blogspot.com

 

 Written by,

           Papa Boyd