It may feel like I’m just blindly picking topics out of a hat to write on. In all honesty I started this blog without really knowing where it was going or what exactly I wanted it to become. I have been relying on God to give me direction and so the topics I have written on so far have been topics that God has placed on my heart.
The word perspective is a word that God has placed on my heart since the beginning of the year and I believe it is so important to have if we want to live a happy, healthy life. I like to see perspective as the lenses through which we view the world. Perspective does not always change the reality of the situation, but it allows us to shift our focus and see positivity and opportunity in situations that are often difficult and “without hope”.
The truth is we live in a broken world filled with so much negativity and hardship. But we have the choice whether this is all we see. We have the choice to change our lenses and see opportunity to be a witness to those who are struggling. We have the opportunity to be the positivity in a hopeless situation. We have the choice to see life rather than death and destruction. We are responsible for the way in which we see and perceive the world. The power of perspective allows us to live above our circumstance.
Often, we want to become more patient, loving, caring, bold but what we realise is that we can only grow these qualities through facing adversities that challenge us in these areas. We cannot grow our patience without an irritant present. We cannot exercise boldness without facing our worries. Boldness is not the absence of worries but the facing of them. We cannot be brave without the presence of fear. We often want growth, development and blessings without the trials. The truth is that we need trials in order to grow as individuals and become the people we hope to be. Trials are a necessary part of the journey towards personal growth and maturity.
Often, we pray to God for traits like patience, and then we complain when we face situations in which we are required to practice our patience. God answers our prayers for patience by placing us in a situation that requires us to exercise this skill. We don’t need to avoid difficult situations in our lives; we need to use the opportunities that they provide for us.
I hope in this time we can choose the perspective of hope. With hope we can see the opportunities even in the hardships. Hope fuels change, which I think we all so desperately need.
James 1: 2-4 – “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
Live it well 