When we are in the midst of a problem or storm, it is very important for us to step back from the problem and get our perspective on it so that we can get through the problem.

Have you ever heard the expression, “You can’t see the forest for the tree!”  When we are standing right in front of a tree, especially if it is a Sequoia in California, we cannot see anything else around us.

The tree is so big that it blocks our view from anything else.  It is not until we back up – back way up, that we see the forest in front of us.  With one large tree in front of us, we cannot get our perspective that this is really one tree of many.  When we back up, we can see how we can get around our obstacle tree, and although it is a large obstacle in our path, there is a way around it.

When we go on family ski trips, my adventurous son loves to ski “through the trees.”  Usually, this is not actually a designated trail, though some ski resorts do have marked areas to ski through the trees.  The first time that he tried skiing off-trail through the trees, he was having difficulty navigating and had some close calls with the trees!  He explained that at first, he was trying to watch for each tree, the ones that were right before him.  When he realized that this was not working, he started looking “in the distance” – down the mountain.  When he changed his point of vision, he was able to navigate through the trees much easier than before when he just looked at the trees right in front of him.

When we change our point of vision during the period that we are trying to ride a storm out, it can make it much easier to endure and get through.

Remember back to when you were learning to drive or teaching your own children to drive.  At first it is normal for a brand new driver to watch the road directly in front of the car.  A new driver’s focus is very narrow.  They are on edge and their driving is a little unsteady.  They do not see things around them, and therefore react late to a situation.  It is not until they widen their vision perspective and look “far” down the road that they will be better prepared for what is coming ahead.  Changing focus also helps to relax the driver.

What do you focus on when you are going through a problem that seems to have no end? 

It is very easy to see what is up close, which is usually all of the negative aspects!  It is super easy to make a list of everything that you are “sick of” in your situation.   You can easily stay in the negative mind-set if you review this list in your mind daily or hourly.    This is called “going down a steep mountain at snowball speed, on a trash can lid through the trees!!”  Yeah!!

When you stay focused on the negative is when you really can get into trouble!  Think about your own problem that you may be going through right now.   Do you camp out in the low valley or do you keep driving on through it?  This is an important decision that you must make regardless of the outcome.  Either you decide to be mad and depressed with everything – the “woe is me” type of attitude, or you decide to be positive and find some good in your situation.

To change your focus, you must get your mind off of your bad circumstances and start focusing and thinking about all of the good things that God had worked out for you, even in the bad circumstances.  You need to “praise Him” in the storm.  This is changing your focus from thinking about the negative to thinking on the positive.  We must change our perspective from seeing a large tree in our way to seeing the entire forest and a path that leads us through the forest.

Our perspective on a given situation can make us or break us sometimes.  You know the statement, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!”  Many times I have said to myself, “Well, I’m not dead yet, and I’m tired of getting stronger.”  But really, what is the alternative?  Fall and let everything cave in behind you?  Sometimes it only takes thinking about a couple of examples where I have seen people give up and disaster overtakes them.  The sheer fear of this happening to me is enough to make me get up and keep going, once again!

Everyone has a different view on things, situations, outcomes, problems, solutions, life, etc.  How you think and how you view a situation that you are going through will determine how well you do in the given situation and if you make it through your problem.  It is so important that you keep a positive attitude when you are riding through a storm.

The right perspective on situations that we go through in our life changes the way that we stumble, walk, or run to the finish line.  When I come to the end of my race, I want to hear the words, “Well done thy good and faithful servant!”

We are told to “Rejoice in everything!”  Most times, this seems like a hard thing to do when life seems to be caving in on top of us.  Paul and Silas gave us an example of rejoicing even though they had been beaten and thrown in prison.   When faced with an upsetting situation, big or small, I have learned to make myself think of one positive thing about the circumstance even though I am upset about it at the time.

If you desire to, you CAN  (have the ability to) make yourself think about something good.  You may not WANT to at the time though.  It does require some discipline to think about how something bad could possibly be turned into something good.  I think this type of thinking is how I have survived.   Another word for this could be called HOPE.  My hope is that God will turn the situation around for me.

When you are faced with a problem like we all are from time to time, think about your perspective on the situation.  Do you have a narrow perspective? Do you need to back up and re-view the situation? Do you need to change your focus?
 

         When we change our point of vision during the period that we are trying to ride a storm out, it can make it much easier to endure and get through our problem.

Share with a friend if you find this encouraging and helpful!    🙂