Attitude

 “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes (Chuck Swindoll).”

            Our attitude is huge in the way we live our life and the way we are perceived. As Christians even in the worst of times we should be able to look someone in the face when they ask us how we are doing and we should be able to tell them that we are blessed. That doesn’t mean that we are having a good or bad day that you aren’t feeling sick, or depressed, it just means that you have God in your life and you understand that with each passing day you are truly blessed. I am reminded of the story of Joseph. Joseph was loved by his father, he was loved so much that his brothers were very jealous of him. They became so jealous that they sold him into slavery.  The brothers keep Joseph's coat of many colors, kill a goat, and dip the coat in the goat's blood. They then explain to Jacob how they found the bloodied and torn coat and ask him if he recognizes it. Meanwhile, the Ishmaelites (or Midianites) travel to Egypt and sell Joseph to the household of Potiphar "one of Pharaoh's eunuchs, the captain of the guard." (Gen.37: 36) The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered. (Gen.39: 2) Eventually, "thus Joseph found favor with his master, and he became his personal servant. Indeed, his master put him in charge of his household and entrusted him with all that he had." (Gen. 39: 4)

Even though Potiphar was a Eunuch, he had a wife. The wife kept trying to lure Joseph to bed. Joseph was an honorable man and did not betray his master. Potiphar's wife tries one last time to get Joseph to bed by grabbing his cloak; he runs away, leaving his cloak in her hands. She falsely accuses Joseph of trying to sleep with her and Joseph is thrown in prison. Even in prison "The Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in everything." (Gen.39: 23) Joseph became a supervisor of other prisoners.

While in the prison, the pharaoh's butler and baker offended the king and they were thrown in jail. Joseph was responsible for them and helped them to interpret their dreams. The baker was hanged and the butler got his job back, just as in the interpretation that Joseph had given them. The butler forgot all about Joseph until about two years later.

Pharaoh had dreamed and no one in his court could interpret the dream. Then the butler remembered Joseph's interpretations in jail and informed the Pharaoh who summoned Joseph. Joseph interpreted the dream as a vision of the future where there would be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. Joseph recommended that Pharaoh put someone in charge of food management. Joseph got the job. Joseph became second only to Pharaoh as he began laying aside crops for the famine.

When the famine came "the whole world came to Egypt to buy corn from Joseph"¦" (Gen.41: 57) Eventually Joseph's brothers come to buy corn too. They do not recognize Joseph and he makes them go back to Israel to get their brother Benjamin, Joseph's closest brother, also born of Rachel. After an emotional meeting Joseph reveals his identity and there is a tearful reunion.

The sons return to Israel to get Jacob. After Jacob meets Pharaoh, the land in the area of Rameses is given to the Hebrews. Joseph continued to monitor the food during the famine. After the famine "Israel settled in Egypt, in Goshen; there they acquired land, and were fruitful and increased greatly." (Gen.47: 27) This was how the Jews came to be in Egypt until Moses would lead them out hundreds of years later.

He was loved and hated, favored and abused, tempted and trusted, exalted and abased. Yet at no point in the one-hundred-and-ten-year life of Joseph did he ever seem to get his eyes off God or cease to trust him. Adversity did not harden his character. Prosperity did not ruin him. He was the same in private as in public. He was a truly great man.

Joseph could have easily entered each of these tough situations with an attitude that was full of defeat, or loneliness, or anger, but instead he put his eyes on God. With his eyes on God joseph understood that while glorifying God continually through all of his struggles that God would guide and protect him. His attitude was so fixed on glorifying God that when given the opportunity to completely give payback to his brothers who were so cruel to him he chose not to but to instead give them the mercy and grace that was given to him from God.

Apply this to your life, are there times when life sucks and you totally let it affect the rest of your day, week, or even month? Are there times where you lose sight of the great plans God has for you because you are too busy worrying about the tiny road blocks that Satan puts in front of you? Take the time today to find the attitude of worship that can view the road ahead of you and can look at all the ups and downs of life and be able to exude the life and words of being a truly blessed child of God. If Joseph could do it with all of the hardships that were thrown at him then we too should be able to take the life we have and make it a glorifying statement of faith for our savior!