Have you noticed that an unpleasant task can be made enjoyable simply by the way you think about it? Or have you had a normally pleasant task become dreadful by a simple change of thought?
I have learned that I have the majority of control of how I feel about various things in life. I can choose if I’m going to do something with a happy spirit or I can choose to complete something with a miserable mindset.
And guess what?
You have that same control.
We can easily apply this to our everyday schedules and to-do lists, but it’s more impactful when we apply it to our ministries and relationships with God.
He has called us all to do something — whether it’s stuffing welcome folders or preaching conferences. Everyone is called to work in the kingdom of God so we might as well choose to do it with a smile on our face and in our souls.
When we work with a joyful attitude the work seems like fun and we can see the purpose; but when our bad attitude creeps in all we can see is ourselves and how it’s making our lives stressful. Stress happens to everyone and we need to learn how to open our schedules a bit to avoid living an overly booked life, but we don’t need to add stress to a situation that can be avoided.
God tells us in the Bible to “Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” {Philippians 2:14-15 ESV}
Prepare your Sunday school lessons thinking about which child’s life you’re going to touch. Help clean up the foyer thinking of the first impression it will make on a guest. Plan a youth event thinking about the impact you’re making on teenagers soul. Choose your song set list thinking about a congregation being led to worship. Follow up with guests thinking about the eternity they’re choosing.
The next time you’re working for God and you feel frustrated, stressed or inconvenienced, try to think about the end goal and change your attitude to a joyful one and watch the task become less daunting.