It all Depends on your Perspective

Yesterday, my cup was full.  Not of blessings or wonders but of pain, insult, injury, and exhaustion.  I'd learned that a close and trusted friend said something unkind about me and this wounded me immensely.  But today on SZ.com it was brought to my attention that we ALL talk about people from time to time and were they to know what we said, they would be wounded and insulted also, even though that was  not in any way our intention.  Face it.  We are just not meant to know everything that is said about us.

And the person who pointed that out to me also said that she was sure that the number of people praying for me and thinking well of me far exceeded the number of those talking trash.  And she is so right about that. I'm constantly struck and amazed by the number of people who pray for me.  People I 've never even met.

Pain was a big issue last night.  I woke in terrible pain and it lasted throughout the night despite the extra pain medicine I took.  And face it; pain just colors everything in your world with a dark black crayon.

Here is something I wrote for my FB status:

The trick with New Years is not to focus on the horrors of past years but to embrace the benefits this new year holds out to us. A fresh start....putting the past behind us where it belongs, resourcing all of the energy we have to do it better than we did in the past and a determination to focus on the grace that God extends to us in the concept of a new beginning. Pick yourself up. Dust yourself off. And grip more tightly the hand he holds out to us.

 I need to learn to hold the negatives lightly and to grip the positives with all my might.  Sometimes the balance does go in the other direction: when things are generally rotten and there is little that is apparent that is positive.  And there are three important words there, "That is Apparent"....Sometimes the biggest blessings are the least conspicuous.   And unless we learn to mine out those blessings and thank God for them, our lives will be grim and not pleasing to God....nor to ourselves.  I will let you in on a secret.  There are ALWAYS more blessings than there are burdens.  We just need to learn to focus our hearts on them.

Yesterday my gaze slipped from the "blessings" to the "burdens" and I felt overwhelmed and defeated.  Things are still very tough today.  They will be enormously challenging for probably the rest of my life...I just need to learn to tighten my grip. Here is a verse that means a lot to me:

Psalm 37:24

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

²⁴ When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong,
Because the Lord is the One ^[a]who holds his hand.

Notice it says "WHEN he falls"  Falling is a given.  It's what happens after the fall that is important....or maybe during the fall....we are holding tightly to his hand...NO! scratch that.  It is GOD who is holding OUR hand.  The verse is clear on that.  So we will stumble...but we won't be flattened.  I always picture a father holding the hand of a toddler baby who is just learning to walk. The dad lifts that baby up by the hand every time they trip so that they never actually make contact with the ground.  That is how God holds us.

So in this new year  may your focus be on the positive.   May you not let go of the hand  that holds you and remember, those who are for you outnumber those who oppose you.  May your year be chock full of the  blessings of God and may you be aware of every one of them.