Skip to main content

“We don’t see the world as it is; we see the world as we are.”

A thought by Mark Batterson, Richard Foth, and Susanna Foth Aughtmon (2015-04-28) from their book, A Trip around the Sun: Turning Your Everyday Life into the Adventure ofa Lifetime (p. 126). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Mark continues this thought by saying, “As a pastor, I’ve seen this play out over and over again in the lives of the people around me. I’ve learned that if someone has a critical eye, they will always find something to be critical about. And if they have a grateful eye, they will find something to celebrate even in the worst of circumstances. The Bible calls this having a ‘good eye.’”

Matthew 6: 22– 23 says, “Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness” (NLT).

He then says, “Having a ‘good eye’ in life changes how you see yourself and everything around you. We have a core value in our family that we borrowed from Qui-Gon Jinn’s conversation with Anakin Skywalker: your focus determines your reality. We want to have a ‘good eye’ as we walk through life. We want our reality to reflect the good things we choose to focus on. One way I do it is by keeping a gratitude journal. That’s how I count God’s blessings. I literally number them. Year to date, I’m on #471. My goal is to hit a thousand by year’s end.”

That is a very good idea.  We need to do all we can to enhance the way we see life.  Maybe this would be a good thing for you to do if you are seeing life totally from a critical or negative stand point. 


So how do you see the world around you?
Labels:

Comments

  1. UnknownJune 11, 2015 at 1:38 PM

    My job has taken me to a number of developing nations and I've met people in extreme poverty. While they are in desperate circumstances (and we need to share our wealth with them) they are often grateful for even the smallest things. Looking at the fact that I was born in Australia, am surrounded by people I love, and have a place to call home, I can't help but be grateful. When I then think of all that God has done for me through Christ, I have no cause for complaint.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bill WilliamsJune 11, 2015 at 1:51 PM

    We have so much to be grateful for. God is so good.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book,   Winning the War on Worry    (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor...
Post a Comment
Read more

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)   Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle?   Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...
Post a Comment
Read more

"To put it simply, worry isn’t just a bad habit."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book,   Winning the War on Worry    (p. 1). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Ok, that is interesting. Louie says, "Worry is an Enemy tactic—a strategy built on lies that are designed to rob you of peace and tear your mind to pieces. "That’s why it’s crucial that you are able to spot the lies worry tells." He goes on, "Not long ago while on safari in South Africa, Shelley and I were really wanting to see a leopard in the wild. Early and late on our game drives our eyes were set on every tree limb, bush, grassy hill, and river path in hopes of finding one of several leopards that were known to frequent this particular area. But here’s the thing: leopards aren’t bright orange with tall, sparkly antennae on their backs. They are designed to blend into the surroundings, like the bark of a baobab tree where they might be lounging on one of its mighty branches. "In the same way, ...
Post a Comment
Read more