After four years of leading the new church in Baltimore, I realized proper training was necessary if I were to be an effective pastor; and that I needed to dedicate more of my time to the ministry. So, I gave up my six-figure income and enrolled at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. I was in the bookstore on my first day at Wesley and ran into a gentleman who was talking to the cashier. Very upbeat and excited, the gentleman kept saying, “Thank God, I’m almost done!”
I was next in line but gave up my spot to chat with this very exciting young man. It was the Spring Semester, so I said to him, “Congratulations in advance for being almost done! You’re graduating this May, right?” The gentleman replied, “No. This is my first semester, but I’m almost done!” Okay. This was also my first semester, but I was not feeling upbeat and excited. In fact, I was second-guessing myself: Had I made the right move by giving up my good income to attend seminary? After all, I had a family with young children to care for. The attitude of this new friend I had found at Wesley taught me a valuable lesson about the power of perspective!
Philippians 4 has instructions that can shape your perspective. “4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” The spirit of rejoicing will help you focus on the opportunity before you and not the obstacles that hinder you. That is what my seminary friend explained to me. He said that if he told himself that he was almost done, he will be motivated to keep doing the work. What a powerful perspective!
In Philippians 4:8 the Apostle Paul furthers that perspective: “8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Today, focus on the things that are noble and things that are going right. Identify anything that is lovely and enjoy its beauty. Or maybe you know someone whom you consider lovely or whom you admire; celebrate that person.
God wants us to condition our minds and train our thoughts, so that we stop seeing the glass as half-empty, but as half-full. Focus on the increasing opportunities and not the dwindling possibilities. Think about succeeding and not failing. That is a powerful perspective to have; and your perspective can become your reality.
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