a change in perception
"if you change the way you look at the things, the things you look at change."
this year, I have made it a goal of mine to change my perspective on how I see situations, people, and myself. perspective is a funny thing. some of us are really focused on a certain series of events, whether it be our own or something happening to us, someone else, or maybe just the outlook on good or bad. this has happened to me in my relationship with friends and a guy. you never truly understand though the stages happening in your life until you reflect on how you perceive it.
everyday we face challenging situations and decisions in our lives. I do. you do. we all do. it can be in regards to school, family, work, relationships or money. they create stress in our lives, and i'm sure we can all agree on that. but you never know how much stress it causes until you sit back and reflect on your perspective. changing your negative perspective towards these things can make all the difference. perception is reality. how we choose to see a situation or person becomes the truth in our lives. it is like changing the way you view the world. when you change your view of the world, you change how you feel about it. yes, that is easier said than done because there's different obstacles that we go through that make us not want to change our perspective. you get insecure, jealous, angry, or depressed. these feelings reflect how you perceive other relationships and point of views in your life.
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" – Matthew 6:23-24
if our perceptions are healthy, then our whole lives will be full of light. if our perceptions are unhealthy, then our lives become a dark place. really think about that for a second. our perceptions shape how we chose to live. Jesus also said, “If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” so if we choose to see only what is wrong with ourselves, with others, or anything else, we will succeed that and find it. if we can’t find it, we’ll create it. our perceptions are more powerful than you think.
perspective is all about what you chose to focus on. what you choose to focus on will determine how you feel. if you choose to only focus on the negative things, you will be negative. if you choose to focus on the positive things, you will be positive. but if you look and realize all the good things, the quality of your life will be better. so why not focus your perspective on positive things? it is not about what happens to you in life, but how you choose to perceive that; what you do and how you think about it. it took me a long time to realize that. it is not always easy, but it is a process that is worth the time and effort needed to put into it. how you perceive things can mean everything. and you can choose how you perceive these things.
if we believe what the Bible says about perceptions, then we should examine ours on regular basis. so what are your perceptions today? maybe your world has been a dark place lately. sometimes life is so full of one bad experience after another that it becomes increasingly difficult to believe that there is anything other than more darkness out there. I get it. i’ve been there, and I understand. sometimes it is hard to get out of that funk or believe that there is good to come. Romans 8:18 says, "The pain you've been feeling cannot compare to the joy that is coming." remember that when you feel darkness is surrounding you. it doesn't last forever. Jesus also said, "I am the light of the world!" i can’t tell you exactly how, but i can tell you that amazing things happen when we allow His light into our lives. you can replace the darkness that clouds our minds and emotions with hope and love.
to anyone who is struggling with perception, here you go:
1. as you get older, you can energetically feel the difference between people who love you and those who care about you at their inconvenience. you can give a person knowledge, but you can't make them think. but what you can do is see the light in others, and treat them as if that is all you see. change your perception to radiate kindness.
2. see your imperfections as unique qualities that make you different from everyone else. you do not have to act the same, talk the same, dress the same, or look the same. be you. being different makes you stand out and it's not a bad thing. change your perception to being comfortable in your own skin, no matter who tells you any different.
3. "you will not always be the smartest person in the room, and you will not always be the strongest or the funniest or most talented. but you can always be brave and you can always be kind, and these are the things you should be every minute of every day for the rest of your life.because yes, those other things, they're great things....but these things are greater." I can tell a lot about a person by what they chose to see in me. it makes me think more in depth of myself. sometimes people hate you because of the way other people love you. that is a sign of jealousy and don't let jealousy overpower kindness. change your perception to love. love yourself. love others. always love.
these mountains that you are carrying, you were only supposed to climb.
