Getting Rid of a Glass Half Empty Attitude

I raised a couple of teenagers and have helped take care of those grown-up teenagers’.teenagers. I know well that they go through all spectrums of emotions at any given time. One day they’re optimistic and in a good mood. The next day they can have sour attitudes that sour up a room like a big old dill pickle. We all know those mood swings because we were once teenagers. I remember me and I’ll admit, I regret those times when I was less than grateful. Oh, how precious was my mother as she navigated me, single-handedly, through those rough waters of boyfriend troubles and school and test troubles – all that seemed so insurmountable – but they all came and passed – literally. I married the boyfriend and successfully passed the tests and graduated. My half empty perspective then, has turned into a half full glass today.

It's almost Thanksgiving Day and I’m already forming my gratitude list in my head. In fact, yesterday morning I sent my usual morning text to my four – my two and their spouses. I said something like this to them: “Happy Thanksgiving week, my loves. I’m so looking forward to our special times together this week. Praying already that God makes this a year to remember in gratitude for His goodness and mercy that has kept us strong, healthy, lots of good food on our tables, being able to be God’s hand extended to so many around us, protection in the midst of storms and accidents, laughter in the midst of tough times, and security and peace in abundance. We are so so blessed. I love you so much!”

It’s so easy to a HALF EMPTY if we allow the negative to overtake our thoughts. You know – like:
I’m thankful for Jesus, but I can’t live up to his standards.
I'm thankful for my husband, but marriage is so much work.
I am thankful for my kids, but they never listen.
I am thankful for my home, but everything is falling apart.
I am thankful for my job, but it's a dead-end job.

You get the picture. I want the half full glass of gratitude that doesn’t add BUT to my gratitude. I want the FULL glass of gratitude list of things that inspire thanksgiving in my heart – not a list that focuses on present difficulties and is void of hope in the good things to come.

We can be thankful, even in hardship, because our future is based on God’s love, not on our perfection or our performance. Yes, we may experience temporary hardships, but they do not alter our eternal absolutes. Our hope is in Christ alone. “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12).

Here’s the way to turn a glass half empty attitude into a full one!
I’m thankful for Jesus, who covers me with His righteousness.
I am thankful for my husband and our blessed marriage.
I am thankful for my kids who are full of life and joy.
I am thankful for my comfortable home that is enough.
I am thankful for a job that I can grow in and be my best.

This glass half full list takes a little discipline. It requires a shift in thinking from temporary comfort to eternal security. It means releasing despair and embracing hope. Hope can inspire gratitude for what is and what will be.

I leave you with this prayer for a Thanksgiving full of hope:
“May the God of hope fill you (a glass FULL) with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13).

Curb Appeal Matters

In the community I live in, all of the yards are pristine -- nicely edged, cut, bushes trimmed, no garage doors open. Every home has curb appeal. It’s a requirement here in this 55+ community.

I've been a R/E Estate Broker for 18 years and I know curb appeal and first impressions matter. A run-down looking property detracts buyers, but a property with a welcoming smile on its face aka fresh coat of paint, landscaping enhanced and tidy, and clean appearance causes buyers to want to know more about that property. Let’s face it, first impressions matter in homes and in us! We spend extra time in front of the mirror before a first date and we care about how we dress for a job interview.

For years, buyers have formed their first impressions of homes while standing in the street or sitting in the car, just beyond the curb. The initial drive-by would determine whether or not buyers would want to see the inside of the house. To get that buyer in the door, the seller spent hours, even days, seeding new grass, planting flowers, painting their front door, weeding and cleaning up the yard. If the home didn’t appeal from the curb, buyers moved on to the next house. Curb appeal was always the single most important piece of the home sale puzzle.

Maybe this post will help you market your home....if you're wanting to, but foremost, this post is to express the importance of our own personal "curb appeal". What is it about us that draws people to us or detracts people away from us? Is our disposition cranky, and dismal and is our attitude "cloudy" and "glass half empty"? Do we look exhausted and worried? Do we look like we could care less about what others think about us? Or, do we look act faith-filled, optimistic, "sunny" and "glass full of joy"?

What is that "first impression" others get of us? If we really want to convey the love of God, His peace that passes understanding, the graciousness and appeal of the Holy Spirit, then our "curb appeal" matters. We were created in the image of God, and God sure doesn't make junk. God sees us as a masterpiece. Do others see us as God's masterpiece?

Sure the world focuses on what people look like on the outside. God focuses on what people look like on the inside. When we focus on what's beautiful on the inside, we will exude that beauty -- that "curb appeal" on the outside.

Maybe, this post is two-fold -- our home's curb appeal and our curb appeal as the "home of the Holy Spirit" who dwells in us. "Don't you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?" 1 Corinthians 3:16. How's that for realizing what our curb appeal should be. We are not just houses, but we are temples of Almighty God -- how could our curb appeal be less than our BEST?