We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps   Proverbs 16:9

I often feel sorry for the Barista at my local coffee shop,  Why?  The good mood/bad mood syndrome.

I was ordering my favorite coffee drink the other day and the young girl who usually waits on me was looking quite sad.  When I asked her how she was doing she said ” I would be doing better if everyone wasn’t in such a bad mood today”.  She proceeded to tell me about the lady who yelled at her because there was too much foam on her latte, the man who spilled his drink and came back in to yell at them for not securing the lid properly , the lady who was disgusted that they had sold out of her favorite coffee cake.  She then said ” Why do I let their bad moods get me in a bad mood?”  ” Yesterday everyone was happy and I had such a good day.” Good question.  Why do we let others affect our mood so greatly?

A bad mood is contagious but a good mood can be too.  It really is our choice.  So much of what affects our moods is not in our control, which only adds to our moodiness because no one likes being out of control.  Yet when we allow our moods to take over everything seems to fall apart.  It is important to pinpoint the cause of our nasty mood.  Are we sick? hungry? tired? frustrated? sad?  Are other people’s actions contributing to our bad mood?  Pin it down and then move on.  Keep in mind, we can’t usually change others but we can change how we react to them, and we can choose whether we are going to let them get us down.

A dear friend told me one time when I was facing a challenging time in my life that really our mood was all about choosing a perspective.  Our earthly perspective or God’s perspective.  Ultimately, He is the only one who can make a difference in our mood. I would encourage you to find positive people to be around and challenge you to be that positive person.

There is nothing wrong with a pity party now and then but life is too short and party decorations are expensive – choose the good mood – and oh yeah… be nice to your Barista !

 

Blessings to you –

Sherri