Perspective

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.