A gray, cloudy day––depressing or cozy?
Roadside growth––weeds or wildflowers?
Whether we see beauty in the storm and life in the weeds depends a lot on our outlook. I know for me, that is much influenced by a number of factors. Fatigue, hunger ("hanger" is an issue for me!), as well as my overall mood and choices.
Am I looking for the good? Am I choosing gratitude? It changes everything when I move in that direction, when I take on that mindset.
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
Philippians 4:8
I don't believe we can bury our heads in the sand and ignore the difficulties in life. But within every challenge, there is almost always an element of good, at least something tiny for which to be thankful.
Climbing these stairs brought several rewards––a gorgeous view and stronger hearts and legs!
The dictionary definition of perspective is "a particular attitude towards or way of regarding something; a point of view."
So, what is our lens?
Putting our trust and hope in our good God, a loving, unchanging heavenly Father, truly changes our perspective. Does it change challenging circumstances? The ever-increasing difficulties all around us? Not directly, but when we shift internally, we experience life much differently.
Sometimes I look with envy at the eagles and hawks which soar high above our little town. They drift, wings wide open, on unseen currents near the mountain tops. They have the long view, a wide perspective. When I picture having the same point of view, my circumstances shrink to their proper proportion.
When I imagine the joy of flying like these majestic birds, I sincerely hope that we are capable of the same once in heaven.
So may we breathe deep, keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, and look for beauty and truth wherever we can find it.
La vie est belle!