Change your perspective

Today’s devotion is about changing your perspective. What a timely topic. Just last week, I had to take some time to shift my perspective on a part of my life that I felt was rather discouraging. And you know what? It helped!

I’ve felt a bit stuck lately in one part of my life: my apartment. You see, the two-bedroom, two-bath apartment I live in is small, and my roommate and I’ve got a bit too much furniture, clothing, and kitchen wares for it. Our closets are filled to overflowing. (I’ve actually gotten stuck inside one of my closets when I fell in while trying to retrieve something. My roommate was present when it happened and thought it quite funny.) Our rooms have very little extra space for walking around in. Our kitchen drawers are difficult to open and even more difficult to close due to amount of gadgets they hold. On top of that, it’s old. The kitchen is outdated. (Maroon countertops—bleh!) The light fixtures are ugly. The air conditioner mysteriously knocks when it’s not blowing out cool air.

In the middle of my Thursday-evening cleaning routine last week, I stubbed my toe for the hundredth time on my cedar chest as I was dusting my packed-full bedroom. As I cried out in frustration and pain, I came to the conclusion that I needed to flip my perspective (and my attitude) on my current home. I needed to find some things about this place that I like. It took me a few minutes, but I did find some!

I realized that I like the area of town I live in; it’s safe and there’s lots of fun stuff to do very close by. And then I remembered that I get to live in my cramped apartment with one of my very best friends and that I should treasure this time we have as unmarried girls to enjoy our friendship. I realized that I should be thankful that I have a job in this tough economy that allows me to pay my rent. And I was also suddenly grateful that I could clean my whole apartment—scrubbing bathrooms, dusting, vacuuming, mopping, etc.—in about an hour and a half (something I certainly won’t be able to say the day I move into a real house!). I noted that the overabundance of furniture I have in my room now will go a long way to help furnish whatever home I move into next.

I counted my blessings, and it truly helped me change my perspective. Granted, this may seem like a silly example to you, but is there a situation at school or home or maybe even your after-school job that really grates on you? If so, try to come up with what you like about that situation. Focus on what you’re grateful for and see if it doesn’t change your whole attitude. And even if it doesn’t, today’s Scripture focus sums it up nicely: “For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory” —2 Corinthians 4:17.

For Christians, enduring your affliction—be it a mean sibling, a tough class, or a bad case of acne—doesn’t hold a candle to how far from your mind it’ll be once you’re experiencing the “eternal weight of glory” in heaven. Don’t ever lose perspective of that.

What will you change your perspective on today?