“It’s a good day for my bad attitude!” If that slogan’s speaking your language right about now, perhaps you should consider joining me this week to discover what the Bible says about attitudes. Could be a ‘tude adjustment is in order!

Crude ‘Tude

“Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.”

Ephesians 5:4, ESV

Sometimes our behaviors take rude attitudes to the extreme and we move into the realm of crudeness. The dictionary defines crude as “rude in a way that makes people uncomfortable, especially talking about sexual matters in a rude way.” If you’ve ever laughed at, told jokes about, or shared video-clips, stories, pictures, or other media of out of control people (like improperly clothed, naked, or impaired folks), then you’ve been part of the crude attitude bunch.

We can easily slip into behaviors that reflect foolish and crude attitudes when we ignore the Holy Spirit and our concern for others. How many time have we found ourselves looking and laughing at things that we ought not, like video clips someone has sent or posted of vulnerable people at their worst? They brought it on themselves through their poor choices, we say. Truth is, our poor choices to mock them blocks us from showing God’s love and can cause them to curse us.

Recall the Bible story of Noah and his sons? After the great flood, Noah drank some homemade wine from his vineyard, got drunk, and lay down naked in his tent. (See Genesis 9:20-21.) His youngest son, Ham, stopped and saw him and instead of covering his father up, he looked at him for a while and went and told his brothers about it. Now, the Bible doesn’t give much detail to the matter, but I imagine that Ham might have found it amusing to see his father lying there vulnerable and decided to have a laugh about it with his brothers.

“Bros, you are not going to believe this; Pops is sprawled out, drunk as a skunk, butt naked on his tent floor. I just saw him, check it out!” Had he felt compassion for his father’s embarrassing plight, he’d have covered him up and perhaps kept it a private matter. His older brothers didn’t participate in his crude foolishness. They covered their father without even looking upon his nakedness (vs.23).  They displayed attitudes of compassion, love, and thankfulness toward their father, unlike Ham. Noah blessed them and cursed Ham’s son (vs. 24-27). Love doesn’t rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth (1 Cor. 13:6, ESV).

Read today’s Dose verse. An attitude like Christ’s is not foolish and crude but thankful. As difficult as changing crude attitudes may be, every believer has the power of the Holy Spirit to do so if they choose. What’s your choice?

Thankfulness over crudeness,

Rita

[Read this story of Noah in Genesis 9:20-27.]