Our perspective is how we see life; it’s an evaluation of a situation or facts — especially from one person’s point of view. For instance, how I see a problem or situation, and my evaluation of it, will be different from your evaluation of the same problem. Sadly, however, so many only see the problem and what is wrong, rather than the solution or the possibilities.

Furthermore, in our society and our culture, we are taught to be the victim. A victim can only see the problem, or what is wrong, and they believe it is somebody else’s fault. As a consequence, victims don’t take responsibility for their lives, and they develop an attitude and perspective of helplessness. The issue with this is that they can never see the role their issues play in the problems they face.

Depending on our perspective, however, we can only see half the picture, so perspective is something we should want to see clearly. We must understand that we will all face problems at some point in our lives. For some, it will cause us to begin to seek God through prayer like never before. Once these problems do come, however, our perspective will determine what we believe and whether we will have victory.

Circumstances and problems will test our faith, so we must view our problems from God’s perspective. Understand that every detail of your life will work out for your good, if you love the Lord and obey His Word. You might ask, “How can that be?” The answer — because God said it would. No matter what you face, God is the answer, and you must believe it will work out for your good (Romans 8:28). 

Just a Thought,

PSS

Lately, there has been a lot of talk about the movie Back to the Future. I’m certain that every one of us has said or done things, or made decisions, that are later regretted. The problem, however, is that we can’t ever go back in time to do those things over. To clarify, regret is: wishing you had done things differently in your past; a feeling of remorse, often accompanied by sadness, shame, and guilt.

Some things we can get over quickly, but other things may not be as easy. We will all have those moments we wish we could take back, and there are some regrets in life that are so painful that they are very difficult to get over. As a consequence, a broken record of our regrets and shortcomings plays over and over again in our minds. Regret is so debilitating, so destructive, it causes us to get stuck in life.

We must look ahead and realize that the only way to get over regret is to know God’s forgiveness and his ability to redeem us — to turn around, for our good, the things that were intended for evil. Without God, some regrets will be impossible to overcome, which is why we have the promises of God to forgive and heal the brokenness in our lives.

Regret can be avoided altogether if we purpose to live our lives according to God’s plan — “…Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” — Philippians 3:13-14 (NLT)

Just a Thought,

PSS

Eliza Tabor said, “Disappointment to a noble soul is what cold water is to burning metal; it strengthens, tempers, intensifies, but never destroys it.” Disappointment is defined as: the feeling of sadness or displeasure caused by the nonfulfillment of one’s hopes or expectations. We will all have disappointments and be forced to deal with them; we are not immune to being disappointed from time to time. In fact:

Throughout your life, you’ll be faced with many disappointments. Perhaps you’re dealing with a disappointment right now. Whether someone you trusted and loved let you down, whether something in your work or business didn’t go right, whether your life isn’t where you want it to be — life just has a way of kicking us when we’re already down. Disappointment is not an easy thing to face, but standing strong in the face of disappointment and picking yourself up afterwards is crucial to living a good life.

Author Unknown

Unfortunately, so many persons allow today’s disappointments to determine their tomorrow. People quit hoping, quit dreaming, and quit striving for a better tomorrow. It’s sad, really, that we allow today’s disappointments to dictate our future. To help you be prepared to deal with disappointment in the future, remember the following:

1. Understand that disappointments won’t last forever; eventually, we can and will get over them.
2. Don’t allow disappointment to affect the rest of our lives.
3. Never give up hope.

No one can go through life and never be disappointed. Let’s face it — disappointments can either make us stronger or cause us to give up on really living and enjoying life. Either way, disappointment won’t last forever, so we shouldn’t allow it to affect our lives forever. Let’s move past our disappointments and start to hope and dream again.

Just a Thought,

PSS

From a biblical standpoint, when you say, “I believe,” you are saying you’re committed and you will never give up. Basically, you are getting rid of all other options in your life, proclaiming, “God’s way is the only way and there are no other options for me.” God does not want a halfway commitment in which you give up when things start to get tough.

For instance, people say it is hard to be committed, but the only reason for that is that they are leaving their options open just in case some better deal comes along — just in case some other person comes along. In doing this, you aren’t being committed at all. True commitment, however, is a state of personal dedication and loyalty to someone or something.

Therefore, “commitment to God” means there is no other way or option for you, especially when you make a decision to follow Christ. When you accept Jesus as Lord of your life, you are telling God that Jesus is the only way and you will follow and be obedient to Him no matter what goes on in your life — no matter how difficult, or good, things get.

Unfortunately, I have watched people walk away from God when things began to go well in their lives. Once they prospered and realized some new freedoms, they decided they were too busy for God. In addition, others made too much money to give to the kingdom. It’s amazing how easily we can be distracted when we haven’t made a true commitment to God.

I encourage you to cut all other options out of your life and courageously commit to God and His Word. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of a good courage…” (Joshua 1:9).

Just a Thought,

PSS

All of us will face difficulties and problems. Eventually, tough times will come; no one is immune to them. The important thing, however, is the way in which we react to problems when they do come. For some people, problems are temporary setbacks or difficulties which have an expiration date. As these types of people work through their problems and learn from them, their setbacks seem to make them stronger. As a result, they learn to persevere and overcome because they see each problem as an opportunity to seek a solution — they don’t become a victim of the problem.

On the other hand, some people see problems as devastating circumstances which have no solution. Consequently, they develop the habit of giving up. Regardless of the progress they have made, they revert to their old ways. For instance, they do well, something happens, and they revert. Eventually, they get over it, start to do well again, then some difficulty comes along and they give up — professing, “Oh, woe is me.” — just to repeat the cycle all over again. Looking back on their life, they realize they’ve gone nowhere and gained nothing.

Quitting is a bad habit, and the cycle of giving up in one’s life must be broken. If you’ve developed a habit of quitting, here are a few things you can do to break this cycle in your life:

1. Recognize this pattern in your life and what triggers giving up.
2. The next time a problem happens, force yourself to keep going forward. Don’t get angry and quit your job or begin to hang out with old friends who will drag you down.
3. Quit thinking and confessing, “Every time I start to do better this always happens.” This is a pit of destruction. Start believing in yourself and don’t give yourself an excuse to give up.

Start to change the way in which you see setbacks. As you overcome them, it will cause you to move forward in life — one step at a time, one moment at a time.

Just a Thought,

PSS