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Perspective

Many times I write a quick blogpost and it stays in drafts. This morning I came across this one...one I wrote right before the start of the school year. Funny how it spoke to me today. Praying it encourages you as well.


Perspective-A particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.

As I begin this new school year, I've decided my word for the year will be perspective.  Over the past few weeks, the theme of how my own personal perspective impacts my life has continually surfaced through books I'm reading and through my own personal devotion time.  Here are a few thoughts that have been challenging me as I go into another school year:

Though I cannot control what will happen in my day, I can control the perspective that I use to determine my attitude when unfavored things occur.

Perspective: When I wake, am I waking with a grateful heart toward God for giving me another day to simply be here and breathe?  Am I choosing to wake grateful to God for another day full of opportunities to love and serve the people around me in the roles He has placed me in as a wife, mother, teacher and friend?

I don't think having a positive perspective is a mere happenstance. I think we daily, hourly, minute by minute decide the lens we will use as we look at life.  I know that I am constantly making choices about my own perspective, good and bad.  I am learning that the perspective I choose often results in finding more or sometimes less joy in my circumstances.  My chosen perspective often leads me to have more or sometimes less understanding and compassion for the people around me.

For me, having the right perspective truly starts with taking the time daily to quiet my heart to spend time with Jesus. It is here in the quiet that I am reminded of my own worth and the worth of those around me.  My perspective shifts. It shifts the focus from the stressors and circumstances of this life....to a much bigger picture. Loving God and loving people.

Now, does this mean that having a positive perspective will always get me through life skipping and singing "Oh happy day?"  No.  There are things that happen in our lives that bring us to our knees, weeping over losses and trauma that break our heart in two.  I am learning that having the right perspective doesn't always look the same every day.  Sometimes it's just humbly recognizing my own desperate need for a Savior and faithfully depending on God for the strength to get through what lies ahead, because that is the only thing that gets me to put one foot in front of the other.

I also think choosing to try and understand other peoples perspective leads us to a better understanding and draws us to show more kindness and compassion.  If we only seek to understand how WE see things, we miss the learning that happens from seeing life through another's eyes. What lens are they wearing as they walk through their day? What’s their story?  What have they been through? By being quick to listen and slow to speak, I am in a better place for understanding.

If you haven’t noticed, this post is mostly a reminder to myself, something to read over and over again when I’m feeling frustrated with circumstances outside of my control.

Perspective. ❤️

Comments

  1. SUCH a good reminder!! Thank you friend for this PERSPECTIVE adjustment.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Today is a good day to think about perspective. And remember to look at someone through their eyes. Good thoughts!

    ReplyDelete

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