Perspective

It's so easy to get caught up in your own life and struggles to a point that they are all you can see. Nothing else could possibly be more stressful or irritating than your own issues. It is often somewhere along this point, that you are given a healthy dose of reality- perspective, if you will.

Through various events and stresses, I have been living dangerously close to my own personal edge. Let me tell you that I have never been so precariously perched near the edge as I have gotten the past few weeks, and it takes a whole lot to even get me close. Rough patch with the bf (which we've happily gotten past), irritation at work and other minor stresses have added up. And to tell you the truth, I'm not fond of my own behavior lately with my low frustration threshold and the consequences of such.

Enter reality checks. I really have it pretty good. These little things that set me on edge are trivial. (minus the stuff with the bf...but like I said, we've resolved them and we're good) Perspective is a great thing, though it sometimes breaks my heart when I get it. Irritating and monotonous calls at work are nothing when compared to a friend whose mother just underwent surgery to remove a wretched disease they call cancer. Or a friend undergoing the trials and pain of a first love and heartbreak. (girls can be just as awful as guys sometimes, only worse) Or friends dealing with pain and suffering in those around them, big, painful things.

When you hear these things, it really puts things into perspective. Suddenly the minor daily annoyances don't seem quite so annoying. A little bit of tiredness isn't cause for a national crisis. You're suddenly reminded of how blessed you are and how good and beautiful life truly is. Perspective is a great thing when you pay attention to it. I try to notice, because it usually comes when I need it most. I feel refreshed and renewed, in a way, because suddenly things aren't quite so burdensome.

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...as far as the reasons for my new perspective, please offer a prayer (or two) for a dear friend's mother. I haven't written about it, it's a little too close right now. But pray for her healing, pray that the cancer was successfully removed today in surgery. Pray for healing for all people suffering from heartache and loss of any kind, particularly when they've done nothing to deserve it. Pray for broken families and broken hearts...pray for peace and comfort for those entertaining thoughts of suicide and for those dealing with those issues. Pray that love would prevail in this often cold world. Pray for love, pray for peace, pray for clarity. Pray for hope.