Perspective

Perspective.

Life is all about perspectives.

Life is a whole bunch of crappy days linked together with moments of joy to keep you going. 

Life is a whole bunch of wonderful days linked together with struggles to challenge you.

Which do you feel is true? What is your perspective on life, are you an optimist, realist, or pessimist? 

I strongly believe your perspective is often dictated by whom you surround yourself. I have two friends, both mothers, both bloggers, and both Godly women. They are in different seasons of life, one has eight children spanned out of 17 years. She has a young adult, three teenagers, a preteen, an elementary, a preschooler, and a baby. The other has three children the oldest is nearing her fourth birthday. I don’t have a very close relationship with either of these women but they inspire me daily! Their perspective on life and parenting and relationships is a breath of fresh air on a grey gloomy winter’s day. 

I find God has placed them in my life to remind me to be thankful. Thankful for my beautiful little blessings, thankful for a hard working loyal passionate husband, thankful for a gracious God that loves me after my continual failures. They post pictures and stories on social media that challenge me, challenge me to speak softly, challenge me to not lose my mind when every room in our house looks as though a hurricane has blown through. They challenge me to view life as precious. They challenge me to let my kids be kids, messy and imaginative and unique. They challenge me to take courage. They challenge me to take care of my momma heart. They challenge me to be the best I can be for my children and my husband. All without knowing so!

I had an incredible hour of cuddling a sleeping baby, sitting on an airplane with no where to go, no distractions, and my lovely husband eight rows ahead with both girls. I had no choice but to spend time on my soul, I began reading Unglued by Lysa Terkeurst, an incredible book about not losing our minds in the midst of the storm (the subtitle is “Making wise choices in the midst of raw emotion”). Seriously, I was only three chapters in before the previous sleepless night caught up with me and I couldn’t focus anymore, but those chapters… life changing! 

How often do I lose my mind? More than I care to admit. I am often inspired, but more often I fail. Over and over I fail. The joy of grace, I know I can try again the next time. The amazing part of the book is it’s another reminder, a reminder of how I view my circumstances and how I chose to respond is what makes life enjoyable or awful. 

My goal for this year is to face it with a new perspective, a new grace and love. Love for my husband, love for my children, and most importantly a love for my amazing God. I want others to see me and think “that is how I want to treat others”. I want to be that example and a light in a dark and discouraging world. I want to be a breath of fresh air in encouraging others, especially moms, that each moment is a blessing. A sweet, savoury, strength growing, gracious blessing. What a beautiful day today is. 

This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24