It's all in the attitude......

I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances. Martha Washington (1732 - 1802)

Disposition: 2 a : prevailing tendency, mood, or inclination b : temperamental makeup c : the tendency of something to act in a certain manner under given circumstances.
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

So is our disposition innate? Or is it learned or acquired thru the experience of life? If I consider my children I would have to say that it is likely both innate and acquired. So if we are locked into a certain disposition because of genetics and life experience then we are limited in what we can do to change our disposition.

The natural man can undergo a certain amount of self discipline and behavior modification and he can come out looking pretty good...but is this really all there is? Somehow I don't think that is the answer, though the world seems to be spending an interminable amount of time reading and writing self-help manuals.

On first reading Martha's quote seems good and right and on one level it is....but God has far more in store for us if we could find it and would learn to enter into it.

I have a friend who says the word "spirit" in the following verse could be translated "attitude".

Ephesians 4:22...that you put off, concerning your former conduct (conversation), the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23and to be renewed(renovated) in the spirit of your mind, 24and that you put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. (NRSV)

Merriam-Webster says attitude is: a : a mental position with regard to a fact or state b : a feeling or emotion toward a fact or state.

Spirit (pneuma) in this passage according to Vine's Dictionary means: the sentient (perceptive) element in man, that by which he perceives, reflects, feels, desires.

So what does it really mean to put off the old man and put on the new man??? To be renewed in the spirit of one's mind???

Put off--means to "put away" and if you look at the roots to this word it is even stronger -- more like...to actively put off. (Strong's)

Put on means "invest with clothing (in the sense of sinking into a garment)" (Strong's)

Oooooh, I really like the way this meaning comes out in the Amplified version:

22Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion;23And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude],24And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God's image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness.

Eckhart Tolle, although appearing to be very new age in flavor, speaks truth that goes beyond "religion" and without using "christian" terminology, speaks biblical truths. It saddens me to see the majority of "christian" culture floundering around either dogmatically trying to live under the old testament law (along with a bunch of man made laws depending on the denomination) or charismatically playing around with the holy spirit....but for the most part missing out on the mystery of Christ in you, the hope of glory. Most of us still see ourselves as separate from God rather than having the potential of living in oneness with Him. And even if we have knowledge of His presence in us most of us are unable to enter into His life except on occasion. Why?

Eckhart Tolle says : "The single most vital step on your journey toward enlightenment is this: Learn to disidentify from your mind. Every time you create a gap in the stream of mind, the light of your consciousness grows stronger. One day you may catch yourself smiling at the voice in your head, as you would smile at the antics of a child. This means that you no longer take the content of your mind all that seriously, as your sense of self does not depend on it." (pp. 26 "Practicing the Power of Now")

Thru the process of growing up (and we are still growing up btw) we have developed a pattern of thinking that makes up who we think we are and how we see and respond to ourselves, others, and the world around us. I am inclined to think that true freedom and true liberty comes by getting free from that pattern and in so doing we find ourselves sinking into or being clothed with a higher reality...the nature of Christ. It is definitely time to change our clothing!

Yes, I agree with Martha Washington..."the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not our circumstances"...do I have a holy disposition? One that draws its life out of the life of Christ in me?

Hmmm...guess I have a ways to go yet.