A Southern Pastor: A Change For The Better


When you woke up this morning, what was the first thing you thought of? Were you running late? A list of chores? Meetings?

If you had to say in one sentence what it was you hoped to accomplish between when you woke up until you go back to sleep tonight, what would it be? Success in business? Good grades? Clean house? Make money?

January is always the time of year when people make resolutions which they often forget by February. Maybe the problem is the goal. Maybe instead of a resolution to change behavior, we should make an effort to change attitude.

So this year, in lieu of a resolution, I will attempt to change my morning attitude, my outlook, my daily goals. Instead of measuring my days by lists or earnings, I will measure my day by grace. How much love and mercy was I shown today and by whom? And how much grace did I share with the world as I went through my day?

We live in a volatile and confrontational world. Everything is my side vs. your side, and in the end, we really don’t seem to accomplish anything. Change your attitude today. Make your goal simply be grace, to give it and receive it in all that you do, and let that simple change in focus rule your coming year.

Melanie Tubbs is a professor, pastor, mother, Mimi, and true Arkansas woman. She lives with nine cats and one dog on a quiet hill in a rural county where she pastors a church and teaches history at the local university. Her slightly addictive personality comes out in shameful Netflix binges and a massive collection of books. Vegetarian cooking, reading mountains of books for her seminary classes, and crocheting for the churches prayer shawl ministry take up most of her free time, and sharing the love of Christ forms the direction of her life. May the Peace of Christ be with You.