Perspective

So much of life is about perspective, isn’t it?

We’ve had some pretty disappointing and difficult moments in life. But so have you! We all have.

Perspective is essentially a lens. How do we view the circumstances we are in? As a pessimist or as an optimist? Do we see not getting a job, a bad grade, or not nailing the goal as an opportunity or as a failure? Do we see a diagnosis as the end or as an opportunity?

What if when things don’t go our way, we see it as a chance to see it as a detour and not as a dead end? It’s all about perspective. Here are 4 ways to help you shift your perspective when difficult circumstances arise:

1. Refrain from thinking about WHY this is happening to me, to what this might DO for me?
   • When you shift from the whys to the whats, it already choosing to see what good might come out of it.
2. Shift your perspective by choosing gratitude.
   • Think of 3 ways to look at the problem with eyes of gratitude. Is there anything positive? Think about ways you could be thankful in what God has allowed.
3. How you see and look at the problem makes all the difference.
   • Seeing and looking are two different things.
     • Seeing is something we do automatically. It’s passive and doesn’t take much thought. When I step outside or walk through our home, I don’t process it, I just “see” it.
     • Looking is something we have to choose to do. It takes conscious and intentional effort, as you choose to delve a little deeper into something; you could even call it purposeful, where you allow yourself to process what you are seeing. When I step outside, I look at the trees and notice them swaying, changing colors, or the birds perching in them.
     • Looking takes seeing to a different level.
     • How might you not just see your situation, but actually look at it with a purposeful lens?
4. Choose to think “big picture”.
   • How might God use this to impact my life for good in 1 year, 5 years, and even for the rest of my life?

All of these examples help you change perspective. When you change your perspective to something positive, you are choosing to move forward, and not just see it. What if you asked yourself, “what is this teaching me” or “what am I not seeing”, to God? HE is the one who has full vision of the whats, whys, and hows. He can help you see more clearly when circumstances seem a bit fuzzy, when life doesn’t quite make sense. He might not make everything clear, as we are not Him, but when we trust Him to help change our perspective, it creates a whole new world of possibility and freedom, amidst circumstances that make us feel chained to despair.

Speaking from experience! Perspective is everything!