Perspective.
It is a big word I fully try to understand, but find myself coming up short far too often. As a mom my tunnel vision kicks into high gear more often than I would like, and at times I find myself looking at my mundane routine and griping about little things under my breath that so easily besets me. Focusing on the negative is a sure fire way to make any Monday start off rough and yesterday was no exception. I came down with a nasty cold and could only reflect on the things I needed to get done that day and how my being sick was not supposed to be on the agenda. Half asleep, I dragged myself out of bed to grab some fruit and water and head back into my room before sibling rivalry broke out between my girls. In theory it was a good idea, but Brooklynne had already dived into the strawberries and the drama elevation between the two girls was rising.
My oldest daughter Brooklynne, when eating strawberries has a tendency to eat only the bottom part of the fruit and toss the remaining leftovers back in the bucket. So when I come along and expect to grab a handful of ripened strawberries I am usually stuck with a bountiful measure of leftover strawberry leaves. It used to really bother me and I would throw out the leftovers she so lazily declined to do herself, but a few weeks ago a friend was telling me about all the nutrients the leaves actually contained. She said the leaves nutrients can help aid in digestion, arthritis pain, and pack some pretty valuable vitamins as well.
You mean to tell me what I thought was potential garbage acutally had purpose left? Yes.
PERSEPCTIVE.
I recently read a book called, “In the Presence of Mine Enemies.” I highly, highly recommend it. Without giving away too many details, it is a woman’s journey of being held captive for a year in the jungle by Muslim terrorists. Gracia speaks how the life she once knew no longer existed and everything that was given to them was a direct blessing and answer to prayer. With every chapter I read, I became more and more aware of how little my perspective can be at times. As a wife and mom I have duties and responsibilities, and just like any other job sometimes I get so caught up in them I forget to take a step back and look at the whole picture. I believe it is safe to say we all stuggle with this from time to time. However, when we do not take the time to step back we tend to miss out on seeing how blessed we truly are.
Yesterday, when I saw those bottomless strawberries I could not help but chuckle.Brooklynne unknowingly reminded me how I should stop looking at my day through my eyes and start looking at it through Gods. To stop looking at bad days as "waste" and find the unknown blessings. To be Content. To be aware that the fruit that had been picked at meant we had food to eat, the bed I crawled out of said I had legs that moved and the bickering of children showed me I have been blessed with the most rewarding job on earth, being a mother. Waking up yesterday I never would have thought that the Lord would use a few pieces of fruit to give me a new vision for the day.