Perspective is a complicated thing. For example…
- 36 is a really young age for a president, but a really old age for a pro athlete.
- A Chipotle burrito is a ton of food for one American to eat. At the same time a Chipotle burrito is a ton of food for an entire family to eat in some countries.
- 300 is a great number for a batting average. 300 is an awful number for a credit score.
- Fighting is a bad thing in marriage. Fighting is a great thing when it’s for your life.
- 2 minutes seems like no time at all unless it’s 2 minutes with a screaming baby. Then it seems like an eternity.
- A joke can be funny in one setting and the same joke can be inappropriate in another.
- Working a summer job in a fast food restaurant can feel like a waste of a summer. You are making minimum wage, you have to work instead of playing during your summer break, and you end up smelling like the product you are making. Or working a summer job in a fast food restaurant could feel like a great investment in your future. You are sharpening your work ethic, you have a chance to invest in people and make them better, and you get a discount on yummy food.
- Soap is a great thing to use when you want to smell better, unless you try to use it to make your breath smell better.
- The Bible has been used to change a lot of people’s lives. The Bible has also been used to ruin a lot of people’s lives. Depending on how you’ve heard it makes a huge difference on your perspective of God.
The point is that depending on your perspective some things can be either good or bad. A lot of times in life our reality is based off our perspective of a situation. What we perceive to be true is truth to us. Even if it’s not the truth we feel like it’s the truth so we hold on to it. Have you ever heard a skinny person say they are fat? No matter what you say to them and no matter how they really look their perspective is truth to them.
I don’t think that I’m naturally a cup is half full kind of person. It’s easy for me to see the negative in situations, but I think that God has helped change my perspective on most things in life. Because I have felt loved by Him difficult people become an opportunity to show love instead of a burden to put up with. Because He hasn’t judged me people who fall short of His standards become opportunities to show grace instead of judgment. Sometimes He even messes with things like traffic. I hate sitting in traffic because it’s a waste of time. Every once in a while I’ll be reminded to see that time as an opportunity to call a friend I haven’t talked to in a while. The more I get to know God the more He changes my perspective about everything. Perspective changes depending on whose eyes you are looking through.
Very engaging post today, and this notion of perspective is one that I battle with regularly. Truth be told, to me the glass is neither half full nor half empty, some jerk just gave me a glass two sizes too big! Dang, I am so filled with negativity all of the time. It feels like a stain that I just can't wash away. Sometimes it seems like the more effort I make to improve in this area, the worse I get. Sounds to me like a good Sunday talk, right preacher man?
Daniel, you might be right about that.
Perspective is everything or maybe that perception …hmmm. I use to have a negative outlook on everything until I realized my perception of the event was affecting (effecting) others around me. I agree with most of what you said and I love that you made this topic today. I am sure BP is not having a good perspective on this spill but hey at least its not on fire :O
Christ died (bad but very necessary for us to be Christians today) and from a humanity perspective it is bad but from a heavenly perspective …divine.
Getting stuck in traffic which really is horrible esp when its 99 degrees out may be saving you from a near miss with our creator.
Thanks for a great post Rob.
great stuff rob…the trick is seeing the other perspectives as we maintain ours…which you seem to have little problem doing. smiles.
God has really changed my perspective on most things also. I always try to find the good in things and people. I try not to complain especially if there is something I can do about what I'm complaining about. For example: When going into a store I always push either one or two baskets inside even if I am not going to use one. I just smile as people come in and fuss because there are no baskets in the store and they have just walked by several. Just saying.
OK I should have previewed my comment before publishing it. When I said I push baskets in weather I am going to use one or not, it should have said the baskets that are sitting around in the parking lot.
Kris, I knew what you meant.