It's all a matter of perspective. . .

Some days it's really easy to stay positive.  Some days the sun feels warmer.  Some days the sky is bluer. The grass is greener.

And some days it just isn't easy at all.  The dishes lay stacked in the sink from two days ago.  The house isn't as clean as it should be.  The kids head off to school disgusted with their mother for enforcing some rules.

Sometimes, life just seems to suck you into that place you don't want to go, but seem to have little control over.

Today was one of those days.  My daughter came upstairs wearing makeup that was WAY too dark, so we asked her to tone it down a bit and instead, in a fit of annoyance, she wiped it all off, and made it very clear all the way to school she was not pleased!  My son insisted he didn't need to wear ski pants to school because NO ONE wears them to school even when it is -30C with windchill.  I made him wear them because he is walking home from school today in these kind of crazy temperatures.  So he too was thoroughly upset with me this morning.  One thing is for sure, it made for a quiet ride to school!  There were a few mumbled I love you's to my words, but alas, MY drive home was spent thinking about what a failure I had been.

As I sat down with my tea, I got to thinking about how so much of what I feel is just a matter of perspective. So much of how I interpret life is just a matter of it being either half full, or half empty.  I decided to get up and get the groceries.  A job I hate.  But I got it done with little or no issues (not bad!!!) and as I came home I noticed the wind had picked up and the wind started swirling.

MORE WINTER!  JUST what I didn't need.  Grumble. . . . grumble. . . . grrrrrr!!!!!

So I sat and started to pray.  And I started to think about what REALLY was wrong with all those things that happened today.  And I came up with that the way I had interpreted each of those situations, was just a matter of perspective.  How I put the spin on each situation.  And then, I realized, for all my memorizing this week, the very verse that SHOULD have changed my perspective, was the one I hadn't been putting into practice.
whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things
Well, I can tell you, I was CERTAINLY not thinking on those things.  I was think on what ever was wrong, whatever bothered me, whatever frustrated me. . . those were the things I was thinking on.

So here goes:

I am thankful for my daughter's relationship with Jesus and that she really does have a heart of gold. (Okay, and truthfully I am thankful she wiped off all the make up instead of toning it down so that there wasn't even more of a tug of war!)

I am thankful that my son is willing to walk home so many days which allows my husband and I to work the jobs we do.  (Okay, and truthfully, I am thankful he still did take his ski pants even though he was right ticked off with me so that I didn't have to hear how frozen his poor legs were when he got home!)

I am thankful that even though their hearts maybe didn't feel it right at that moment, the mumbled I love you's were genuine, and they both understand that they'd rather say it even though they are frustrated, than miss saying it and possibly miss the chance to ever say it again!

I am thankful that I was able to get the groceries - that we have jobs that allow us to make $$ to buy those groceries.

I am thankful for the warm home that we have when the winds whip up the snow the way they were, that I am in a beautiful warm home, and not homeless somewhere.

I am thankful that despite the snow, I bought some peat pellets and petunia seeds to start within the  next few weeks - a sign that spring will come.

PERSPECTIVE.  It's all in what I think about. . . . If I think on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable. . . it completely changes my perspective.  And what better perspective to have than to focus our thoughts on the Lord.  He is true.  He is pure.  He is lovely. . . . can't get better than focusing on Him!!!

So today, I'm going to try to keep it all in perspective, rather than looking at the negative. . . . because there is so much to be thankful for!!!!