Growing a Good Attitude

“A man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth.” wrote James A. Allen in his classic little book As A Man Thinketh.

“If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind,” Allen adds.

Furthermore, Allen offers this insight into the relationship between our thoughts, altitudes, and actions.

Just as a gardener cultivates his plot, keeping it free from weeds, and growing the flowers and fruits which he requires, so may a man tend the garden of his mind, weeding out all the wrong, useless, and impure thoughts, and cultivating toward perfection the flowers and fruits of right, useful, and pure thoughts. By pursuing this process, a man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life. He also reveals, within himself, the laws of thought, and understands, with ever-increasing accuracy, how the thought-forces and mind elements operate in the shaping of his character, circumstances, and destiny.

This raises a type of chicken-egg conundrum. Does our attitude influence our thoughts, or do our thoughts shape our attitudes?

This much is certain, if you want to grow spiritually, you must control your thoughts and develop a good attitude.

Personally, I lean toward controlling our thinking produces a better attitude. The apostle Paul provided a blueprint for better thinking in Philippians 4:8, when he admonished us to think on things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, virtuous, praiseworthy.

If you want to grow a good attitude, it begins with what you put into your mind. What you read. What you watch. What you listen to. What you think about it.

Our thoughts not only fashion and form our attitude, but produce our character. The wise man wrote, “As he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 22:6). In the ensuing centuries, this Biblical principle has been expressed in many different ways by secular authors.

Allen succinctly said, “Thought and character are one.”

Marcus Aurelius, the 2nd century Roman Emperor, said “A man’s life is what his thoughts make of it.”

American Poet and Essayist, Ralph Waldo Emerson penned, “A man is what he thinks about all day long.”

William James, who has been called the Father of modern psychology observed, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind.”

However, beyond what self-help authors promote as a positive attitude, we need a positive spiritual attitude. An attitude imbibed in godliness. In scripture. In spirituality. The apostle Paul affirms that “to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Rom. 8:6).

The spiritual minded life is one that produces peace, finds purpose, and experiences personal growth. Growth that glorifies God. But it must begin by controlling our thoughts. The Bible offers this challenge–”take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).

Of course, making our thoughts Christ focused can only occur when we fully embrace the command, “Let this attitude be in you which was in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5). To do that, it requires spending some time studying the life of Christ. His character. His interactions with people. His relationships. His focus. His ministry. And His message.

Be advised, however, this is not a one time activity. We must constantly be sowing seeds for spiritual growth that will grow a better attitude.

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman