Is there anything good in this life? Is your glass half empty or is it half full? What does it matter? This is the the main event. The eyes and heart you look through lead you down the path they choose. Glass half full or half empty?
We make hundreds of choices every day. Have you ever stopped and thought about it? We make a decision on whether to sleep in a few more minutes or get right up. What do we wear and why? In what sequence will we do everything this morning? The list goes on and on. Now, what has a major influence on each choice we make? It is our eyes and our heart. What is the mood we wake up in? Are we happy or are we depressed? What do our eyes see? What do our eyes want that we might not be able to obtain? Can you see where I am going with this?
Is your glass half empty or is it half full? The logical answer to this question is correct no matter which choice we make. However, the way we see the glass will influence every decision we make, either to take us down a path that is good or one that will add misery. Now, when we talk about this choice between glasses, we come to the realization that we need to make a choice previous to the one concerning the glasses. What are we going to focus on each day? Do we choose to look at the good things in each day and dwell on them or do we focus on all the bad that happened? If we make a choice to start focusing on the good in each day, when we are faced with the question about the glass, we find that the choice has already been made. IT IS HALF FULL. This means that we have an expectancy that the glass is going to get fuller. Someone who sees it half empty is already expecting it to be emptied.
Let’s focus on the glass half full scenario for this section. I wake up in the morning and it is raining and there is a hole in my roof and water is pouring in on the floor. The storm knocked over a tree and it landed on my car. How do I respond? If the glass is half full, the worst part of my day has already happened, so everything that happens from this point on must be good. I need some encouragement so I am going to get dressed and find out how the rest of this day is going to turn out great.
Now, let’s take the glass half empty scenario and use the sequence of events above for it. What do you think might be different? What do you think the outcome will be? What was the expectation from the beginning?
Can we see that choice impacts our attitudes? It is not about changing our attitudes. It is totally about the choices we make that lead us down the paths we choose to walk everyday. We need to make intelligent choices to get to the place we want to be.
The Lord simply says, “Choose Life! I am the way, the truth, and the life.†John 14:6 What choice will you make? I hope this makes sense. All of my life I’ve heard these words, “All you have to do is change your attitude.†Do you need to forgive someone? It is not about how you feel about it, it is simply a choice. If we make the choice, with His help/grace our attitude will line up with the choice.
Somehow we need to grasp this concept. If we can separate our emotions for just a moment, we can make the right choices. If something bad happens to us, let us not make a quick choice based on our reaction. If we can, let us wait until the heat of the moment passes and then make an intelligent decision and respond appropriately.
I really hope this helps you. As I was writing this, I began to gain understanding. I make far fewer emotional choices now than I used to. As a result, I reap better rewards. Things happen. Life sometimes dumps on our doorstep. When it does, remember, greater is He that is in us than He that is in the world. Tomorrow will be different. One day at a time. The glass is half full. It is being filled.
My prayer for all of us is that we walk in His grace, mercy, peace and love. May we explore the depths of His love. May we know Him and walk with Him each and every day of our lives. May He guide our every step and lead us down the path of life.
Joseph James