If we are to make changes for the better then we must have guidelines as to what is better. Here is a decision you will have to make already, who is to say what is better? Do we look at society as a whole and base our decision on that? Does our culture come into play in making this decision? Should some form of religion be a bases for how we change? Or, what about just basing our decision on what God has to say about how we should conduct ourselves? It helps to have a little perspective in our lives by examining our situation to see just what it is we need to change. We all grow up learning from those around us, we all take shape by the life we live and how we allow those around us to influence us. The problem is we don't stop acting or doing those things that harm us and those around us.
Here is a small list of things that may be affecting you in one or more ways. You can add your own situations or problems as you wish. This list is only to get you thinking about "YOU" and the way your life situation is right now. You need a new perspective on life right now.
- You are angry just about everything, you want to confront people and blame them for your anger. You can't seem to find peace no matter where you search.
- You are faced with an unhappy marriage, your wife tells you she doesn't like you anymore. She still loves you but just doesn't have that spark for you. She wants a divorce. You don't know what to do so you wallow in your own misery trying to figure out what it is that she doesn't like about you. Why should you change, isn't she the one with the problem?
- Your history seems to be controlling your destiny. You were raised with an alcoholic parent, no time for you, got beaten continually, life was not pleasant growing up. Your alcoholic parent passes away but you still allow your past to control you.
- You lived on the streets most of your life and had to fend for yourself. Your parents abandoned you because they couldn't handle life either. Now you find yourself not trusting anyone, you don't want to accept help from anyone because you are a self made person. Because of this it is affecting your job, your family, if you have one. Your so called friends seem to steer clear of you because you can't accept them for who they are.
- You feel you have outlived your usefulness, there isn't any real reason to go on. You find yourself becoming a bit of a recluse. You want to help people or be an influence on them but your age or health are saying that it's not possible. You long for the good old days but find it impossible to go back. Now what??
- Maybe you feel life is not worth living anymore, why not just end it all. You have lost your family, maybe your job, or your finances are all gone and you have no hope of restoring them. Maybe you just seem to be all alone and you feel that no one cares about you anymore. Why go on?
- You find yourself bitter and unhappy because of something that someone said or done to you. You find yourself being eaten up by this and can't move on. The hurt is to deep and painful. You have buried it deep within the recesses of your mind. From time to time this painful experience crawls back up to the surface and begins to eat away at you some more. This affects you in every area of your life and has caused you to lose family and friends. Someone tells you to forgive, but you don't want to let this go because you are afraid that justice would not be served.
I could go on with many different scenarios, but I think you get the picture. You may have your own story that you could list here. The point is we all have decisions to make everyday. The problem is we lose perspective on what life is really all about. We can get so wrapped up in ourselves that we forget that there is a great and wonderful world all around us. We fail to get a different perspective on life that would carry us up and out of our present situation.
Christ said in Matthew 11:29-30, "Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” When you find yourself struggling with life and just seem to have run out of options, try a different perspective, try looking at life through the eyes of Christ. This is a decision that you must make, but a decision that could change the rest of your life.
In closing, I want you to read the following quote from Andy Andrews book, "The Noticer." It has to do with you and the difference between deciding to do something and actually doing it. The quote is perspective for a man that was harsh with his workers, did everything for the company even if it drove people away from him, even his wife. The person's name is Henry, and he has just reached a point where he knows he must change. He wants people to see this change. The person giving him advice is called Jones.
"My life is a mess," Henry said softly. "Yes, it is," Jones agreed, "but only up to this moment." The younger man looked up. "What do you mean?" "I mean that you can change. Now. You can change how you do business, how you treat your family, and how you treat the people whose working lives have been entrusted to you. You can change how you treat them. Right Now." Jones peered carefully into the eyes of the younger man as he continued. "Most people think it takes a long time to change. It doesn't. Change is immediate! Instantaneous! It may take a long time to decide to change... but change happens in a heartbeat!" "Then I will change," Henry said. "I mean... I am changed." "You understand, of course," Jones said, "that it might take a while for your reputation to catch up to the change you have already made?" Henry nodded. "Most folks will be in that 'deciding to change' mode in their opinions about you for some time yet. But the change you have made will show evidence of a different man, and sooner or later, others will change their feelings about you as well." "One quick question," Jones said with an obvious lightening of the mood, "and to complete the change in all areas of your life, you will need to understand the answer. Are you ready?" "Okay..." Henry said warily. "Five Seagulls are sitting on a dock. One of them decides to fly away. How many Seagulls are left?" "Well... four." "No," Jones responded. "There are still five. Deciding to fly away and actually flying are two different things." "Listen carefully to me. Despite popular belief to the contrary, there is absolutely no power in intention. The seagull may intend to fly away, may decide to do so, may talk with the other seagulls about how wonderful it is to fly, but until the seagull flaps his wings and takes to the air, he is still on the dock. There's no difference between that gull and all the others. Likewise, there is no difference in the person who intends to do things differently and the one who never thinks about it in the first place. Have you ever considered how often we judge ourselves by our intentions while we judge others by their actions? Yet intention without action is an insult to those who expect the best from you. 'I intended to bring you flowers, but I didn't.' 'I meant to finish this work on time.' 'I was going to be there for your birthday...? (Andy Andrews, The Noticer, pg. 110-112)If you have changed, you need to show evidence of it. Show up for the birthday, get those flowers, stop treating your employee's harshly. Call your wife and let her know where you are or that you were thinking of her. Tell the one that hurt you that you forgive them. I think you get the picture, it is time for you to decide. Only you can make the decision that will change your life forever. Change is up to you.
Have you considered inviting Jesus Christ into your life and making Him Lord and Savior? Are you still on the dock with the rest of the gulls, or are you going to flap your wings and take off? John 3:16 makes it very plain. The first step to real change is through Christ. Meditate on these words from God: "For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him." Change is a matter of perspective, maybe you just need a new one.
Feel free to leave a comment by clicking on the word comment. I appreciate your thoughts.
