When I first started working, I was horribly unhappy. My job was (still is) stressful and, being a rookie, made it even more so. My supervisor at the time was...interesting...which made work...interesting (I think that's the safest and most Christ-like way to put it!). I literally cried like a baby on my way to work - every time. I laugh about it now, but let me tell you, I was completely, totally, unimaginably MISERABLE. I kept asking God about when things would change.

So can a funky attitude lead to great things? Not really.

Early one morning, I caught a Christian television program in which the pastor was talking about our attitudes. The main scripture she referred to was Matthew 5:3-10, in which Jesus spoke of the "Beatitudes." She said something that really grabbed my attention, and could be applied to so many different areas of my life, not just the new job. She said that it wasn't the enemies of the Israelites that kept them from the Promised Land, it was their attitude.

Let me give you some background info. So, we know that God used Moses to deliver the Israelites from the bondage of slavery in Egypt. And, although Almighty God heard their cries and raised someone up to save them and take them to the Promised Land, they were not as content as you would expect. Apparently, it should've only been a 40-day journey. But because they murmured and complained, the journey turned into a 40-year trip. Along the way, they had to fight many different enemies. Not only that, but of what is said to be near 2 million people who left Egypt, only 2 of them ever got to see the Promised Land. Two!?! So their attitude made a big difference on the journey.

I guess our attitudes-the perspective we choose to take on things-can seriously impact our lives. Our contentment, or lack thereof. Our joy, or lack thereof. Our success...you get the idea. In fact, "Our attitude is the prophet of our future" (a Joyce Meyer-ism that I'm going to try and remind myself of whenever things get a little sticky). Obviously, it doesn't always seem that simple. When you are in the midst of a situation where you are wondering if God is gonna jump in and help you out (and you need Him to desperately) you don't want to hear someone chime in "Well, when life gives you lemons..."

I guess this is where I insert a disclaimer. Does this mean that people won't say or do things that irritate you, hurt your feelings, or disappoint you? Does it mean that those people aren't responsible for what they say and do and that your displeasure is some kind of strange, ungodly emotion? I don't think so. Being angry or disappointed is normal. But what do you do with it? Don't sit and wallow in it. Not every situation or responsibility is going to make us over-the-moon happy. But what is your attitude? How are you going to choose to see it? And let's look at the other side of the coin- ask yourself this: are your actions negatively impacting someone else, making it harder for them to have the best attitude?

So my challenge is this: Ask God to change your attitude, but do your part by trying to change your perspective. At work, in your  relationships, in everything.

Shari Grant is a Registered Nurse in South Florida, where she was raised in a (very!) Jamaican home. Some of the loves of her life are words (both reading and writing them) and missions work. She enjoys spending time with friends and family while living for a good laugh - one that makes her belly ache and her eyes water. Her bottom line goal in life is to make the Lord smile and maybe even serve Him up a chuckle from time to time, too.