Perspective: Is the glass half full or half empty?

I haven't had a chance to blog much lately (not that anyone's reading them).

It seems like I'm going through one storm after another. And right after I get my wind back after having my breath knocked out of me, I get hit with another punch I didn't see coming and I'm down again.

So I always go and talk to my best friend about my problems (and my only friend right now) this guy names Jesus.  Now sometimes he just puts his arms around me and lets me know everything is going to be alright, but sometimes he laughs at me and says, "Don't take yourself so seriously."

I guess if I could stand back and see my problems from a different perspective, I might laugh to.  But when your in the mist of the storm, your mind is spinning around, and you feel like you might not make it another day, it just seems hard for me to laugh.

On the other hand, my wife and kids are being hit with the same things, and they respond like it's just a joke.  No matter what happens, how bad it is, how much they are hurting, they will find a way to minimize it and go on rejoicing like they had just won the lottery.

So, lately, I've been trying to study them and determine what makes them so resilient to everything.

The answer I think I've come up with is "perspective".

They have a whole different perspective about life.  We are all believers in God and Christ Jesus, but their belief is simple and childlike (of course 2 of them are children and the wife is still really a child who never grew up).

They know that forgiveness of their sins and mistakes are wiped out because of what Jesus did for them, and they respond to that fact with thankfulness and joy.  That's where their joy and uncanny happiness comes from.  For them, it doesn't come from what happens or doesn't happen.  It doesn't come from what they get or don't get.  They rejoice in the fact that their names are written in Gods "Book of Life" and that it can never be erased.  Then they respond with the attitude of "I've got nothing to lose", "If God is for me, who can be against me?"

They live with the expectation that God will provide what I need and want, and that little problems and setbacks in life are just little bumps in the road that are just a part of life.  By happening, they just help them enjoy the blessings that come later even more.

I have a different perspective when we "hit a bump".  My perspective is "I must have done something to piss God off, and now he has left me to reap what I sowed."  I know he forgives me, but I feel like I still must pay for my mistakes.  Then guilt, self-image problems, and "Look out! The sky is falling".

So, I have decided (with the help of God and my family) to try and start looking at things from a different perspective the way they do and see what happens.

And so if anyone is reading this, check back and I will update the situation and let you know what results follow.

Peace Out

Faith and a Role of Duct Tape

It's been a while since I blogged on my site.  Life really gets busy when you have two school age children to deal with and a wife to please. Of course, I'm sure most of you already know this. 

No matter how bad things get here the family is still full of joy and the perspective that God must really be working on something really good for us.

We were on a short road trip recently, when a large truck time came out of nowhere and my wife ran over it, tearing off the plastic splash guard underneath the van. I had already started calling for a tow truck, when my wife stopped me.  "We have duct tape", she exclaimed. "what do we need a tow truck for?" 

The wife and kids are always looking for a challenge or some sort, and this was another perfect opportunity. 

As I accessed the damage, I informed them that mere duct tape was not going to fix the problem, but they insisted, so I stepped back and let them do their thing. 

While I watched them work, I wondered in my mind, how many miles would we get before the whole thing came off and whether we would be in an area where we could call for help the next time. 

Well, six hundred miles later, the duct tape was still holding up and I was embarrassed of my lack of faith, again.

My families faith and joy are always at their peak, while mine is always in the gutter.  Time after time again, I see what I would call miracles that seemed to be related to their faith and belief in God to take care of us.  Maybe it's time for me to examine my beliefs a little deeper and then maybe my joy would increase a lot more.