How dare they? After everything I’ve done… That was really unprofessional. I’m obviously not the one at fault here. On and on the thoughts continued through my head.
I was on a work assignment a few years back, and two of my coworkers had told their boss that I had a bad attitude and was rude to them. Can you believe it? The truth is, I had been calmly and politely letting them know that I had only so long to get my assignment done. Their joking and laughing were delaying me from accomplishing anything, so I simply suggested that we stay focused. I’m not sure they appreciated hearing that from someone so young.
With every thought I entertained, my frustration grew—until I reached a point where I had become the victim of a “grand injustice.” And it was up to me to make it right. It would have worked out great, too, if it hadn’t been for that still, small voice on the inside, telling me that I was wrong.
In Andrew’s latest teaching, An Excellent Spirit, he explains it this way:
If you allow offense, bitterness, and discouragement to function on the inside of you, it limits what God can do in your life. If you are going to see promotion, you have to maintain a good attitude—an excellent spirit—regardless of what other people are doing to you, regardless of what your circumstances are.
Obviously, what Andrew says here is not what I was about to do. But at that moment, I realized that I was choosing bitterness instead of the great plans God had for me. I wanted His plans much more than my offense, so I immediately cast it over to God and allowed His peace to rule in my heart once again. Trust me—peace is much lighter than offense!
In Andrew’s teaching, he continues,
A person with an excellent spirit is a person who doesn’t identify just with the crowd. You aren’t following the crowd, but you have a personal relationship with God. You know who you are in Christ. You know what He wants you to do, and you have a direction for your life. You have a compass. You aren’t going to compromise, and you aren’t going to change directions (Mark 11:23). If you have a mountain in your way, you’ll cast it into the sea or you’ll draw on God’s ability to climb it and go over it, but you aren’t going to take a detour. This is an excellent spirit.
I went to my boss and apologized for what happened and assured him that I would never want to come across in such a manner. He assured me that he knew the problem wasn’t with me and that I was not to worry about it. I had gotten all worked up over nothing.
When challenging situations come our way, we have a choice. We can either allow our hearts to become bitter and puffed up, or we can trust God and obey His commands.
Learn how to live a life of excellence with Andrew’s teaching, An Excellent Spirit. This will prepare you for a life of promotion!
