Monday, September 23, 2019

How a Wrong Perspective Can Bring Us to Ruin








As recently posted in the Emma Joy Weekly Newsletter



Outlook Determines Outcome


Hello, everybody.


Today's subject has the potential of totally changing your life around (for better or worse). It also holds within it the power to destroy your well-being, increase envy, and hurt your view of God and other people OR to make you one of the most thankful, vivacious, and healthy people out there. It's the topic of perspective.


I have found that assumption is a common problem in the lives of people. It really is a thief. We assume life will go our way...or assume it will turn out terrible despite our best efforts. We assume others have it better than us...or assume no one compares themselves to us and our circumstances. We assume we have life all figured out...or assume life's purpose and meaning cannot be known. We assume our finances and health will always be in turmoil...or assume a different trial would serve best in molding us for the better.


Perspective is powerful because it plants seeds of doubt or it increases our overall well-being. It allows us to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep or it causes our jealousy to rage and makes us turn a blind eye and deaf ear to the afflictions of others.


It can be the difference between suicide and staying alive, between working on problems in a relationship or leaving all change up to the other person.


It can bring us perpetual gladness despite circumstance or can overwhelm us to the degree we turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms to numb our reality.


It can stir up hatred in our hearts toward those who have wronged us or can cause us to weep on their behalf and diligently pray for them.


You see, perspective is the way we view the many facets of life. A healthy perspective must be cultivated. It most certainly does not come naturally to any of us. It's like trust in God--it is built as we exercise it and choose to think biblically instead of going by our feelings.


Perspective is shaped through many means. It can take a drastic change for the worse depending on what we fill our minds with (social media, the news, depressing lyrics in songs, comparison, negativity, pessimistic people) or can take great leaps toward the better through monitoring our self-talk and filtering our thoughts, words, and actions through the word of God.


Our choices affect our perspective because every decision has a certain consequence and when we choose rightly, good results. But when we choose wrongly, we suffer.


I'd encourage you to humble yourself before God and plead with Him to give you the right perspective in all things, build in you gratitude and contentment, and make it clear to you what you must start doing and stop doing to become a healthier person. I'm sure you can tell by my writings that I am a serious advocate for working on every one of our issues and surrendering all to Jesus--our past, present, future, all of our relationships, our hurts, our traumas, our insecurities, our fears, our worries, our concerns, our desires, and our shortcomings.


The Lord truly is able to refine us and make us whole. And part of being healthy and whole is choosing to make choices and think thoughts that add to our quality of life instead of taking away from it.


The very fact that you are still living and likely have food, shelter, and clean water puts you above many people around the world. You might not have everything you want currently, but that may happen in time. Be patient and rest in God.


"The things you take for granted other people are praying for."

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