Today I finally had time to sit down and think about my journey with perspective. I had decided that I needed a format and encouragement to keep my on track and to help keep my word in the forefront of my mind, so I jumped into Ali Edwards' "One Little Word"
This was not totally new to me. I had seen much of Ali's work back when I was scrapbooking on a regular basis. I loved her ability to use simplicity in her pages, while still capturing the emotions behind the photographs and memories.
Her One Little Word gives monthly prompts that can be used to help guide throughout the year, reminding you why you chose this word, how you want it to affect your life, and learning more about yourself along your journey.
One of the first tasks I was given was to search for quotes connected to perspective. This quote depicted above popped out at me almost immediately.
Too often I find myself immediately seeing the negative in a situation. For instance when my husband took his new job recently I wanted to be supportive but I also knew that the job would require him to move into an apartment for several months while I try to wrap up loose ends here. I found myself thinking of the quiet house that I would face each night after work, the separation between us, and the pure physical distance.
Taking a step back and a big deep breath allowed me to instead think about how this new job would relieve some of his stress, allow for new challenges for both of us, and create new opportunities for our family.
I had been focusing on the "thorns" in our lives and overlooking the beautiful roses that were budding along our path! I need to consciously rejoice in the possibilities that God is presenting for each member of our family and allow those roses to blossom to their fullest! My perspective needs to change.
I found myself searching in the Bible for more words of encouragement to help redirect my thoughts and I found this verse:
I need to meditate more about the good things that are happening for me and for my family rather than dwelling on the negatives. I need to praise God for the opportunities that he is giving us and seek his guidance as we make decisions. I need to be truthful with myself and allow myself to feel BOTH sadness AND happiness as these changes occur. I need to maintain my perspective and keep searching for the roses that are budding along our path!
