How to Embrace the Attitude-Altering Grace of God

by Katy Kauffman

“I don’t like this.” It’s easy to get stuck in that attitude.

We might not like a health diagnosis, financial strains, personal rejection, or other people’s choices. Our hearts can settle in the “I don’t like this” rut and not want to get out.

Two of my favorite chapters in the Bible have helped me to escape the rut. (Well, I’m still working on it, but God is faithful.) Psalm 37 showed me a new “rut” to choose, and Philippians 4 helped me with motivation to choose it.

The alternative “rut” is delighting in God. And not just delighting in Him, but trusting Him too.

“Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:3-4 NKJV)

According to this chapter, even when it looks like evil people are triumphant (something we really wouldn’t like), God wants our “lane” to be trusting Him and our “path” to be doing good.

If we choose to practice these verses, God can transform our attitudes and give us enduring power to do what’s right in our current situation. He can turn:

• “I don’t like this, Lord.” to “I’ll trust You through it.”
• “Why can’t this trial just end, Lord?” to “How do You want me to grow, and how can I help someone else?”
• “It looks like evil is winning in the world, Lord.” to “I can’t wait to see all the good You will do.”

Like sheep pasturing in a lush meadow, we can “pasture” in God’s faithfulness. We can remember what He has done in the past and trust Him right now. We can stay close to Him and delight in Him, instead of wallowing in despair. We can choose what’s good with God’s help and delight ourselves in the abundance of His peace (Ps 37:11).

This is the “rut” I want to travel in, and why? Because when we delight in God, we get the best gift of all—God Himself. Closeness to Him, fellowship with Him, and purpose from Him. We also receive His help and provision and protection.

We get Him, and we get strength. Philippians 4 shows us where to find grace-giving strength. The apostle Paul knew where.

“I have learned in whatever state I am to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. … I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:11-13 NKJV)

We don’t have to dread difficult situations because our contentment and strength can be independent of our circumstances. Strength is found in a Person, and He is Someone definitely worth choosing. No matter what.

We can find a strength so sufficient in Christ that we can walk through any trial and survive any storm. It takes a shift in our focus and in what we ultimately want.

When we shift our focus from “I don’t like this, Lord” to “I love You, Lord, and I’ll trust You through it,” joy can replace angst, and peace can replace the churning we feel within. When our ultimate desire is to follow God and delight in Him in all seasons of life, God’s grace can fill our lives with hope and great good. The love He has for us and the nearness of His presence can sink so deep into our hearts, we know for certain that we’ll make it with His help.

Have you experienced God’s grace transforming your attitudes like this? How has delighting in God given you a strength to handle what’s difficult in life? Leave a comment! Let’s encourage each other with testimonies of His faithfulness.

Would you like to hear about 3 ways to delight in God and how they give us strength? I now have a ten-message on the Lighthouse Bible Studies YouTube Channel, and it’s taken from our 2026 compilation Strengthen Your Spiritual Core.

You can click the play button below to watch the video immediately on our site, or you can watch on YouTube as well. May your heart always find its greatest joy in God.