Attitude

Sometimes I prefer the company of unchurched people. Last weekend, my wife and I were vacationing in Dallas and spent some time in the hot tub at the hotel we were staying at. In the hot tub were two other couples. In conversations with them, I realized they didn't attend church and probably had little or no relationship with God. However, they were very nice, great to talk to, and seemed to be enjoying themselves. They just seemed to love life and had a great attitude about things.
Contrast this with most of what I hear out of Christian acquaintances. Much of what I hear is complaining about life; griping about family, griping about work, griping about church, griping about the city, griping about the government, and on and on. It's draining and I don't realize how much that spirit affects me until I get away from it for a few days.
A friend of mine who spent 11 years in prison before his life altering encounter with God once shared with me that he met more honest people in prison than he has ever met in church. I believe every bit of that statement. Oftentimes I wonder when I am around church people and even fellow pastors, if I'm really hearing the truth or just a bunch of.....well......that stuff that makes crops grow.
Why is it this way? How come those of us who claim to follow Christ can't display a better attitude about life? Why do we put on such a facade when we are around each other that we don't really know one another and what's really going on in our lives?
It seems the world has us beat in attitude, joy, honesty, and I'm willing to bet they have us beat in forgiving too.
Instead of us informing the world, the world seems to be informing us. It shouldn't be that way.