Have you ever noticed that frustrating, annoying, embarrassing or inconvenient events from your past are now looked upon with great humor? (Insert your own memory of the events here.) Why is that, since at the time they seemed anything but funny? Or, have you noticed your own ability to look at a friend’s minor problems more positively than he or she can? How is that possible?

I think the answer is PERSPECTIVE. In both cases above, you are able to gain perspective by either time (in your own case) or distance (in the friend’s case). You are viewing the situations from a different vantage point.

Is there any way to gain perspective on the frustrating, annoying, embarrassing, or inconvenient events that are happening to you right now? Wouldn’t you love to see the poetry in your car breaking down, the whimsy in your basement flooding, the romance of waiting in a queue, or the humor in your trousers ripping?

The answer is in PRAYER. When you are in the moment, it is the best way to gain perspective on a perturbing situation. “How are you using this agitation for my good, Lord?” “Where is the adventure in this, Lord?” “How is this minor problem giving me a glimpse of grace?”

God sometimes allows us to be teased out of our earnestness.

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Relax in Him,

–Mike