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| Chonda Brent |
Have you ever seen one of those ladies who look fantastic from the front? She is completely put together. You even are thinking, “Wow! I love her hair!” THEN, she turns around and the back of her hair is a rat’s nest! That look is the perfect analogy for what God has been teaching me for months now – PERSPECTIVE. If that girl would have picked up a hand mirror for 5 seconds and checked her hair from ANOTHER ANGLE, she would have realized what a mess it was back there! We too, have got to learn to see things from every angle. Do you look at situations only from the angle that it affects you, or do you consider what others may be thinking or going through?
Philippians 2:3 says, Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.
As Christians, we should think of how a situation affects others before we consider how it affects us. We quickly form an opinion and rarely consider changing it or pondering it. As women, we are inundated with information about others. Sometimes it is good, and sometimes it’s not. How often do you take that unbecoming information as the gospel truth (because it came from a trusted source)? One of the most popular sayings at our house is “there are two sides to EVERY story”. There are likely more than two. Every situation looks different depending on where you are standing when it happens. If you hear something, don’t swallow it up like a tasty morsel. Think the best of one another. Consider others better than yourselves.
That lady mentioned in the first paragraph may have three sides that look great, but sometimes it is hard not to focus on the one rat’s nest in the back instead of the other 3 sides that are put together nicely. We all have the same opportunity. What will we choose to focus on; the 25% that is messed up or the 75% that is great? Our brains don’t meditate on whatever they want. Our brains meditate on what we choose to focus on.
I recently got a phone call that sent me over the edge in a fit of anger. I wasn’t rude on the phone but boy was I ever mad when I got off. Holy Spirit immediately challenged me, “Are you going to play that conversation over and over in your head (focus on the 25% that is messed up) OR will you CHOOSE to think of all the good things that person has done for you (the 75% that is great).” I’ll tell you, nothing in me wanted to think happy thoughts, but I made myself anyway. I was alone in my car and I started saying out loud all the wonderful blessings that person has given me over a period of years. I chose to look at the three beautiful sides rather than the one ugly side. It took some time, but the anger began to subside and I was able to just love them instead of letting them “have it” the next time I saw them.
One other example of how God has challenged me about my perspective is my thoughts about my husband. I’m sure none of you do this, but occasionally I get frustrated with my husband about the messes he leaves around the house, or what he hasn’t done, or what he said that rubbed me the wrong way. A couple of months ago, it seemed to all hit a once. I was just not happy with him at all. God sent an old friend my way, who vented for two hours about her husband. When I heard what she had to say about her husband not coming home until after midnight every night and drinking a lot (this is just the tip of the iceberg), I felt ridiculous for my complaints. I had definitely chosen to focus on the petty things that bother me instead of all the amazing things I love about my husband: he’s a great provider and a very hard worker, he loves me unconditionally, he is an amazing father, he is the most empathetic person I know, he makes me a better person and on and on. That day, my whole perspective changed. I repented to God and changed my attitude.
Circumstances in your life do not have to change for your whole attitude to change. You can live in the exact same circumstances and be a content, happy person. I want to be like Paul in Philippians 4:12. I want to learn to be content in every situation. So pick up that mirror and look at your life situations from another angle!
