The Power of Perspective
This one is a little vulnerable for me to write because it’s an inside look at the thoughts that actually pass through my mind. The mind is powerful, and our thoughts have the ability to guide our lives. This is a genuine topic that I believe ALL wives- especially wives who are young in their marriage, need to read and remember.
I want to talk about gratitude and the power of perspective. Proverbs 4:23 tells us to guard our heart because everything we do flows from it; the heart is the wellspring of life. God sees the best in us; He sees past our flaws. His LOVE transforms us. If we want to look like Jesus, we need to do the same. The devil, however, is the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10). I have to catch myself in regards to what I’m thinking and what I allow my mind to meditate on. I want you to examine your thought life and what you are meditating on as well.
I’m going to give you two scenarios. Let me know if you relate…
“He never helps with the kids. All he does is come home from work and look at his phone. I’ve asked him several times to not have his phone out at the dinner table. Does he always have to listen to Youtube on full blast? That’s so annoying. I asked him to get me this brand of eyeliner and he came home with something else; does he even listen to me? He manages our money poorly; all he wants to do is spend! He serves more at church than he does at home; he needs to step down, clean some dishes and give the kids a bath and put them to bed before he worries about serving elsewhere. I always have to nag and remind him to get things done. He would lose his head if it wasn’t attached; he loses everything. Can’t he ever find anything himself? He is always getting mad and upset over the smallest things.”
“I’m so glad he makes it a priority for us to be in church each Sunday. That was very kind and selfless that he fed the baby dinner before eating himself so that I could enjoy a hot meal. He worked a long day and happily went to pick up groceries to make my life easier. Aww, the way he interacts and cares for our daughter is so cute! She really loves him; it’s so sweet to see her sitting on daddy’s lap. He really dealt with her well while she was having a meltdown getting into her car seat. He told me to go get out of the house for a couple of hours by myself and to treat myself by getting a manicure and pedicure. After a long day, he installed the babyproofing cabinet locks without me even asking; he cares about what is important to me. He told me I looked beautiful this morning and gave me a big kiss, fresh out of bed, no makeup, and my hair a mess. He told me he appreciates everything I do around the house and with the kids- that I’m a great mom. Wow, I see a lot of progress with the way he wants to manage money. He is really thinking long term on the best outcome for our home and our safety. He is an excellent protector of our family! He has progressed so much in his walk with the Lord and I see strongholds breaking. I love his heart to serve others. He seems a little anxious and stressed today, I wonder how I can help him and make his life easier? He works so hard and such long days and is making this great sacrifice so I can stay home with our children- I really admire that about him!”
These are thoughts about THE SAME man…Crazy right? You would think these were two completely different individuals. Notice how in the negative and accusatory statements the words always and never continually come up. Also, notice how many more positive statements there are than negative. The enemy wants us to align with him and focus on the few negative instead of the many positives.
Like I said, this is super vulnerable for me to share. I also don’t want to come across as dogging or disrespecting my husband online. My husband, although very imperfect (just like me) is a great man. I just KNOW that so many women out there battle the same types of thoughts. What thoughts are we choosing and acting on? I know for me personally, I’ve not been great at choosing the higher thoughts and seeing the best in my husband- I usually think the worst. I’ve been meditating on and complaining and grumbling about the accusing thoughts. Our marriage counselor told us to believe the best; which is something I’ve failed to do- ALOT. Perspective is so very powerful.
When we meditate on the negative, the fruit we bear will most certainly be completely rotten. We’ll be annoyed, on edge, ready to start an argument, and waiting for the next mess up. When we focus on the positive, we’ll have a humble heart posture, ready to see how we can be his helpmate. What you focus on magnifies.
I challenge you to focus on the higher thought and change your perspective.
