Keeping Life in proper perspective!
As this is the first day of 2018 I wanted to encourage all who read to keep every aspect of life in its proper perspective. Life is not all about what you see and observe, but it has a lot to do with what you say in this life. I have always been one who strives to be positive at all times. As one who dealt with a lot of negative actions, attitudes, and behaviors with pessimistic views from all walks of life. This including teachers, doctors, and certain family members. I vowed to be one who always sees life as a cup that is half full. I have encountered many people over the years that have no idea how to be, walk in, or speak positively at all! No matter what you say to them, or how you flip the scenario they choose to remain negative. On this note remember that life is all about choices, and one can choose to be negative or positive. Also we can make a certain choice in this life, but can’t choose how it comes back to us. Better said; “One can choose to sin, but cannot choose the consequence of such action/choice!” So, with this all being said I wanted to bring encouragement from several perspectives to help you this year to remain focused on. As one who constantly works on not being closed minded, and take in perspectives from all walks of life. I want to share some of the wealth of knowledge that I have received. Here is just a little of some of the different opinions that I have viewed, and agree with on this road to positive living and proper perspective.
Biblical perspective
Psalms. 103:1, 351Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
3Ps. 130:8; Is. 33:24Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who (Ex. 15:26); Ps. 147:3; (Is. 53:5); Jer. 17:14heals all your diseases,
4Who redeems your life from destruction,
(Ps. 5:12)Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that (Is. 40:31)your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6The Lord executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed.
7Ex. 33:12–17; Ps. 147:19He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.
8(Ex. 34:6, 7; Num. 14:18); Deut. 5:10; Neh. 9:17; Ps. 86:15; Jer. 32:18; Jon. 4:2; James 5:11The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
9(Ps. 30:5; Is. 57:16); Jer. 3:5; (Mic. 7:18)He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10(Ezra 9:13; Lam. 3:22)He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
11For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
12As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He (2 Sam. 12:13; Is. 38:17; 43:25; Zech. 3:9; Heb. 9:26)removed our transgressions from us.
13Mal. 3:17As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
14For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.
15As for man, Is. 40:6–8; James 1:10, 11; 1 Pet. 1:24his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16(Is. 40:7)For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And Job 7:10its place remembers it no more.
17But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,
18(Deut. 7:9); Ps. 25:10To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them.
19The Lord has established His throne in heaven,
And (Ps. 47:2; Dan. 4:17, 25)His kingdom rules over all.
20Ps. 148:2Bless the Lord, you His angels,
Who excel in strength, who (Matt. 6:10)do His word,
Heeding the voice of His word.
21Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,
(Heb. 1:14)You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
22Bless the Lord, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
As we read here the writer chooses to remain focused on the good that he has experienced and not what he has going on in his life presently. He chose to keep his confession positive and did not make any excuses for the poor decisions he has made. He kept things in proper perspective.
Humanistic Perspective
‘What has your greatest epiphanies revealed to you in your toughest times in life?”
This was a question that Oprah Winfrey asked that should provoke thoughts towards how we look at life while facing tough times.
“Breaking open can also mean braking through!”
This was another statement made by Oprah that encourages people to breakthrough barriers that were created by life and its many struggles that causes us to put up walls.
“While in tough times we tend to ask disempowering questions like; what’s wrong?”
Who’s to blame, and why me?” “When this is put out in the universe it comes back with an illogical answer that seems to be logical, but it places blame on many things including; being born on the wrong side of the track and etc.” “These questions are typically asked in the middle of tough situations and they are not empowering questions.” “Once you ask empowering questions with sincerity then you will get an answer to rise above whatever situation you find yourself in.”
“When looking for a transformational moment in your life you must first be willing to be honest with yourself.”
“If you are not honest you can never receive the help you desire or strive towards getting.
“We are not taught that when in a difficult situation there can be a profound, and meaningful effect on us that helps to transform our lives in an exceptional manner.”
“One may ask what I do when I am in a difficult situation. Can I admit that I may be in this situation because of my own choices and decisions? This is really hard because you can also blame others for what they did to make you respond in a certain way. “What becomes empowering is when we realize that we are not stuck based on what has happened to us, and the keys that unlock us from any bad situations are in our own hands, and it becomes liberating.”
“Amor fati; is the Latin term for the love of fate. Instead of bemoaning our fate. It is a way of being grateful for what is happening.”
This was one of the most profound things I heard simply because it asks you to be okay with life. The good, bad and the ugly parts of life are asked to be accepted as part of our fate. Hmm…. I don’t know how quickly the average reader is willing to run straight to this conclusion! The real reality is most of us are trying desperately to escape whatever mess we find ourselves in. Not willing to ask the question; what can I learn from this situation and/or experience? Not taking the time to seek truth while in this situation. Primarily just looking for the quickest and easiest way to get out of it completely.
“We have to find ecstasy in moments that keep us focused.” “We will never be able to find happiness in the larger experiences in life if we can’t find ecstasy in the smaller almost insignificant times of life.”
“We should learn to be appreciative of everything in life.” “The minute you began to appreciate more you stop focusing on yourself and stop obsessing.”
This keeps us humble and selfless. It is too often that we see self-centered individuals who are all about themselves. All the while expecting things to revolve around them, and what they are doing. Not concerned at all about the well-being of others. This is kind of how white privilege has always been and in most cases still exist today.
“Turn your expectation into appreciation, and your suffering stops there.” “It takes energy to create change.”
“We all have blue prints that we have created for our lives on how life is supposed to be, and when life fits that blueprint we are happy.” “However, when life does not match the blueprint we have pain, we also feel helpless to change our situation, and suffering starts.” “The delusion is that your mind is taking you over and then the blame game starts.” “In this moment we must decide to make a change. Remember it takes energy to change.”
“Think higher and feel deeper; you cannot feel bad when you do this.”
To do this takes discipline, and a willingness to stop and reflect on what is happening at the moment instead of rushing through the process.
“Life is not a closed fist but an open hand waiting for some other hand to enter it into friendship!”
We can never truly be our best without taking someone with us who are on the same frequency in life. Success is something that we as humans want to share to keep our minds and hearts open. A closed fist means we reject the usage of endorphins we were created with to be experienced with and by other.
All quotes were taken from; Wisdoms of Sundays book by Oprah Winfrey.
Biblical Perspective
Psalms 91
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”
This is a prayer that I pray over my family daily. I chose to do this as a result of a challenge to trust God to take care of me and my family. I also so often pray this over friends and those close to me as well with the same idea in mind.
My perspective
So, I find the delicate balance of humanistic experiences vs personal experience. I am typically led back to my spiritual roots. I have always been a type C personality, and have to gather information to come to my own conclusions. I have utilized my analytical mind to also gain access to information that simple religion cannot completely uncover. Keeping in mind that there is a huge difference between spirituality and religion. One takes a deeper look into what our Creator truly wants and the other is satisfied with daily rituals that lead to a life filled with one who is obedient to a traditional way of living however, void of a personal relationship with the Creator. Then you have scientific views out there that lack any spiritual input at all which is to be respected as well. I keep my balance and encourage all who read to do the same. Know who you are , and where you stand this will lead you to a contented position.
While examining other views I make it my mission to never lose sight of my true assignment which is to enlighten those who lack the knowledge necessary to maintain a positive perspective in this life. There are many reasons why people are the way that they are, and it is my job to help them along the way no matter where they may be in this life. This is also one of the reasons for this blog. I don’t expect people to agree with everything I have to say however, it can never be mistaken that I don’t give information to go, and research for yourself. Additionally I choose to put controversial information out there as well to strike up much needed dialog. So, for every bit of perceived negative information I share it is always with a heart to bring clarity and change. I learned the hard way many years ago that you can’t please everyone so, I just obey my heart and follow my own intuition.
For anyone reading to mistake the reason for the information I have provided today is a choice however, my goal is to inspire change from those who read. A change of your mind to focus more on being positive over negative. Changing your mindset towards how life should be. Finally changing your paradigm on what life is really trying to show us as individuals on this earth striving towards our destiny. In short my perspective is simply; Remain positive about life as it is, because if it were supposed to be different it would be. So, because it is not this must be the road we must take to get to our own unique destination.
In closing if I were to leave you with something to think on for the year it would be to maintain a lifestyle of positive perspective; no matter how bad it may appear, get and or become. Making good choices will always lead to positive karma and just the opposite for bad choices. Remember that there is always a consequence for every decision you make. No matter how hard life may be we must make decisions that reflect what we want to see in our lives, and who we want to become. Always be willing to take responsibility for everything you do. Blaming others can only go so far as it eventually plays out. These behaviors breed a lack of self- responsibility and enables a person to mature like they should. We as humans are a lot stronger than we think, and we just need to tap into that tough part of ourselves. Finally be mindful that it takes 21 times to create or break a habit so, work very hard to be positive all the time until it becomes a part of who you are.
As always have a great day, and Happy New Year!