Attitude.

So, it's been 2 weeks since my relocation and to say the least: I REALLY enjoy my summer job. I'm definitely still getting used to the new town (I've gotten lost a few times.), new living arrangements (I have my own bathroom! For a girl, that's huge.), new schedule (My sleeping schedule is way off. I miss naps.) and new community (as in fellowship). I'm adjusting pretty well. There's definitely new adventures infused in each day!* I welcome them all. 

I've come to the realization, we will end up labeling many things/seasons in our lives based on our perspective. Allow me to further explain.

Whats your perspective? Good? Bad? Another way to ask is, how's your attitude? Checked it lately? Choosing to have a good attitude or perspective about something makes all the difference sometimes. That "something" may be a job, a friendship, a circumstance, the daily traffic jam, the long to-do list, a feud or life itself! To turn from a negative attitude towards a positive one is one of the most productive and rewarding things you can do. Try it. 

Although initially a little worried and nervous about relocating for the summer, I've learned these 2 things to be true: 

1. Take it a day at a time / 2. Stay positive & grateful.

I heard a preacher once say: "You're worried or depressed? Start counting your blessings and watch your anxious heart turn into a grateful heart." Sometimes, it really does bottle down to our attitude. This week at work, one of my supervisors shared a few paragraphs with the staff from a book she's reading: Every Day Deserves A Chance by Max Lucado. The title is pretty revealing. Each day we are given a chance to grow, learn, experience and embrace. But negative attitudes can almost always get in the way of that. The portion she read were excerpts from a dog's diary in comparison to a cat's diary. Intresting, huh? Of course the dog's diary was more exciting and joyfully receptive to the days schedule. While the cat's diary was more... well, negative and a bit ungrateful. (Read the diary excerpts here)

Max Lucado challenges readers with this last paragraph:

"The day of a dog. The day of a cat. One content, the other conniving. One at peace, the other at war. One grateful, the other grumpy. Same house. Same circumstances. Same master. Yet two entirely different attitudes. "

We all share the same 24 hours. Time is no different for me, as it is for you. My schedule may look different today than it did 2 months ago, but my mindset must remain positive. After all, my Master is Jesus Christ, the King of Kings! I'm in His hands, despite whatever circumstance I find myself in today or will find myself in the months to come. I don't wish to live with a negative mindset that when I look back on this season, all I am able to recall are the things that went wrong, the sad times or the frustrating times. I choose to remain positive even if I do spend a Friday at work washing dirty, smell tarps after driving all over Longview in a 15 passenger van, lost! (Some frustrating moments, later, become the funniest stories to share!) I will not look back on this season of my life and only recall negative memories, but gratefully recall the wonderful moments I was able to experience due to the renewing of my mind (Romans 12:2). May you be encouraged to remain positive/grateful and challenged to renew your mind when negativity begins to cloud it.

Time stops for no one. 

The same sun rises and sets over all creation. 

God is always good and always faithful, no matter what. Trust Him.

^ May that be the motivation you seek to remain positive, day in & day out. 

Crystal Lee.

*Picture blog w/my latest adventures coming soon. Stay tuned!

Meanwhile: Find me on Instagram > crysleelopez