7 Ways A New Perspective Can Impact Your Life

The other day My husband and I had a Parenting BREAKTHROUGH!!!  Ever have one of those?  This empty plate of eaten food looks like a dirty dish, but to me it is VICTORY!  When it came time to sit down for our family dinner, our daughter griped, complained and even shed tears over the food that was on her plate.  She had a complaint for every item of food and why she didn’t like it.  After we prayed, she decided she wanted to go to her room to calm down, since she wasn’t eating.  My husband and I decided ahead of time that we were not going to make her something different. If she didn’t like the food given to her, then she would go to bed hungry.  

After calming down in her room, she returned to the table, and to our surprise, she ate her entire plate of food!  After she was done, she said with a smile, I ate it ALL!  This got me thinking…….

The food on her plate did not change.  The only thing that changed was her PERSPECTIVE.  By my husband and I choosing to stand our ground and not jump in to SATISFY her immediate DESIRE for different food, we allowed her to see the reward in changing her perspective.  The fulfillment of her immediate desire, will never bring her the long lasting satisfaction and joy that a new perspective can bring.  Her new perspective allowed her to not only eat her entire plate of food, but to ENJOY IT.  

How many times have you been there?  I know I sure have.  There have been times I have felt like the Israelites wandering in the desert, desperate for water, food and shelter crying out to God to FULFILL my needs.  Each time God fulfilled the Israelites desires, they still grumbled and complained for more.  It was never enough, they were never satisfied even though God had PROVIDED for them.  What they didn’t know, was God was preparing them for something so much GREATER.  If they just patiently waited, then they would have all their desires fulfilled ABUNDANTLY MORE than they even could imagine.

By standing our ground we taught her so much more….

1.  Our Circumstances do not determine our Happiness
2.  By calming down we can see things and think more clearly
3.  By Praying we can give God our struggles, to allow HIS Peace to enter our hearts
4.  By Changing our Perspective, it creates more opportunity for Joyful Experiences
5.  A THANKFUL heart is a Happy Heart!  When we are happy with what we have it turns what we have into Enough and then some!
6.  Those who Patiently wait are rewarded beyond measure!
7.  When you Love what you have, you have everything you Need!

It may seem cruel when we don’t satisfy our children’s immediate desires.  Our children’s cries go much deeper than just fulfilling a temporary desire for more.  These are cries, CRYING OUT for LOVE.  We chose to love her in the most loving way possible by not giving in, by standing our ground, by doing what we believed was best for her in the LONG RUN.  Just like God does with us.  Just like he did with the Israelites.  We may have a closed door in front of us, our opportunities may look bleak, or God might be saying ‘No.’  It doesn’t mean that he doesn’t LOVE us.  He knows there is something better up ahead.  By saying ‘No’ now, he is making room for a better opportunity ahead.

How many times have we allowed our perspective to crowd our heart, not allowing room for God to fill them with the abundant joy and peace he desires for us?

Have you had an experience, once you changed your perspective, it changed your life?  Please share!

Remember……
It can always be worse.  We can learn a lot from the Israelites.  They wandered around a desert for 40 years to finally get to the promise land where they were abundantly provided for!   Whenever I feel like I am losing my patience, I always turn toward God’s promises that remind me that we are LOVED!  Don’t allow a negative perspective to keep you from the abundant joy that God desires for us!

“Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.” Isaiah 30:18 ESV

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