Part 2 of of the “Up” Series

Yesterday I shared some thoughts with you about giving up. This year, I want to give up my control, or more accurately, my illusion of control to God. Giving up, however, does not mean sitting around doing nothing. It doesn’t mean being reckless with the responsibilities that God has given us either. Once I give up, then I’m ready to clean up. Because you see, while God is in the business of redeeming and restoring the broken things in our lives, He also lets us in on the action. I mentioned that quote yesterday that is now one of my favorites:

God doesn’t recruit from the pedestal. He recruits from the pit.

Let’s face it: the pit is smelly. The pit is stinky. The pit does not offer luxury hotel accommodations or even soap and water. So when God brings us out of the pit, is there some cleaning that needs to be done? Absolutely.

There are some things that I can and need to clean up:

1. I need to clean up my attitude.

While I was complaining about the 20 degree weather, people in a large part of the country are not able to leave their homes because of the weather. While I was complaining about having to get up early in the mornings again (Sleeping in is my favorite thing to do. No joke.), someone was praying for a job with steady income for their family. While I was complaining that my house is too small, someone was wishing for a house period.

I don’t know about you, but my default attitude is a negative attitude. It is a constant struggle to clean up my attitude. You’ve heard it said that while we can’t always control what happens to us, we can control our attitude about it. I’ve learned many times over the past year that my initial reaction to something says a lot about me, not necessarily the situation.

I love what Paul says in Philippians 2:5 (NLT):

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

We all know what Christ’s attitude was – one of humility and not of pride.

A personal challenge for me is the following:

Philippians 4:11 (NLT) – …for I have learned to be content with whatever I have.

But wait, I’m not done cleaning!

2. I need to clean up my speech.

The first time God brought this to my mind, I initially argued with Him saying that I didn’t curse. (Have I mentioned that I need to clean up my attitude?) But as you know, cursing isn’t the end all of inappropriate speech. Have you ever been around a person who is newly saved yet still rough around the edges? They love God, but they haven’t let go of their old ways and words? I’ll admit, I’ve smiled or laughed when in their zeal, someone lets out a string of inappropriate words while expressing their gratitude to God for saving them from their sin. What I don’t find funny, though, is the ruthless gossip and ugliness that can be a part of any church or Christian organization. I’ve heard faithful churchgoers completely slam a person or situation, all the while never uttering a curse word.

That sound you hear? It’s me groaning from the pain of my toes being stepped on. I may not curse, but I’ve done more than my fair share of hurting people because I wouldn’t keep my mouth shut. And boy does the Bible have some things to say about that.

Matthew 12:34 (NIV): You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

James 3:9-10 (NIV): With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My dear brothers, this should not be.

Sobering. Although not necessarily a surprise, it’s still sobering to realize how much our words affect others. When I walk away from a conversation with someone else, my goal is to leave them encouraged.

Now, let’s not kid ourselves. No one is reading this thinking “You know, I’ve never thought about cleaning up my attitude and speech. This is brand new information!” If you claim the human race, chances are that you need to consistently work on your attitude and speech as well. (And if you don’t claim the human race, come talk to me. I have questions.) ANYWAY, this is where I believe the third area comes into play.

3. I need to clean up my thoughts.

So here’s the thing (again, no brand new information here): what we think about becomes what is in our heart, and what’s in our heart determines the words that we speak. Have you ever thought to yourself, “These people should be so happy that I’m not saying everything I’m thinking”? Yeah, that. But you and I both know that harnessing our thoughts is just as important as harnessing our words. And I don’t know about you, but it’s a lot easier to harness my words than it is my thoughts.

Even though I know that the key to managing my speech is managing my thoughts, I don’t always execute that well. Then I get frustrated that my thoughts have put me in a bad mood, lash out at someone, then feel guilty for taking it out on them.

Ah vicious cycle, thy name is Bethany.

Once again, I’m saved by the Word of God.

Romans 12:2 (NIV) “Do not conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Renewing doesn’t happen just once. For me, it doesn’t happy daily. It happens multiples times each day. I have to refocus on God. I have to reclaim His promises. I have to re-read those verses that have seen me through uneasy days. And by renewing my mind, I clean up my thoughts.

So today, give up what you can’t control. Clean up what you can.