there have been many times that i have been accused of being a "glass half full" kinda girl...and i have to say...i'm ok with that...although at times when this accusation was delivered...it wasn't delivered with the nicest of sentiments...do i try to see the good in every situation? yes...does it annoy people at times? yes...do i care? yes & no...
is the glass half full or half empty? is it partly sunny or partly cloudy? perspective makes all the difference....
even for strong christians who are grounded in their faith...discouragement can easily sneak its way into hearts and minds as life deals us chaos...as we struggle with the challenges and difficulties of everyday life...or things that happened to us that were unfair or unwarranted...it is easy to get pulled into a habitual mindset of negativity...just like that old song from the ‘80s says (yes...i realize i am dating myself here...) we may find ourselves asking God..."what have you done for me lately?"
our answer to that question will depend entirely upon our perspective...God does more for us each and every day than we deserve...but it's so easy to lose sight of the good...because we are caught up in the reality of the bad...how do we combat this perfectly human attitude?
for me...it all comes down to prayer...and resolving to have an attitude like Christ...but believe me...i am no where close to that...but that is always my ultimate goal...
and then...i start to take inventory of every blessing...this is where at times of hardship...it is hard to focus on the "what you have" vs "what you don't have"...
so what do we have?
life... your every breath...your every heart beat...a spouse or loved one...children...clothes that need to be washed because God gave you clothes to wear...and a way to wash those clothes...good health to help those whose health is failing...trusted and educated doctors to treat you when you are facing health challenges...a house that needs cleaning...a car to drive...the ability to purchase gas for the car...a job to go to...the ability to be a stay at home mom or wife...healthy kids who can play music or sports...friends...family...freedom...Jesus...eternal life...
what is on your inventory list today? if you were honest with yourself...would you say you have been looking for the positive aspects of the situations in your life? are you considering how God could be using those things to draw you closer to Him? or have you been primarily focused on the negative?
during times of negativity...we actually become our own enemy...we wage a battle in our mind because we look at our situation from our own perspective...instead of what God may be doing through our situation...so in order to change our minds...we have to choose to change the way we think – our perspective...attitude is a choice...
winston churchill said it best..."a pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity...an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty..." what do you usually see?
to quote an old cliche...today is the first day of the rest of your life...and it is never too late to become an optimist...they say it takes 21 days of doing something for it to become a new habit...the more you practice challenging your thought patterns...the more automatic it will become...changes may not take place immediately...but over time...the challenge gets easier...and optimism becomes the norm instead of the exception...
i will tell you...the rewards of looking for God's goodness in every situation will leave you with a healthier and happier heart.
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