What Are You Focusing On?
From Lynette Hagin's Book, Along the Way!!
If you try, you can always find a way to highlight the good in a bad situation.
Would you say you were an optimist or a pessimist? When trouble strikes, do you immediately focus on scripture that says, “All things work together for good to those who love the Lord” (Rom. 8:28)? Or do you wring your hands and cry out, “Why is this happening to me?”
Are you always focusing on the difficulties that confront you, or are you constantly looking for the bright side of every situation? An optimist sees the glass as half full, while a pessimist views the same glass as half empty.
The World’s Greatest Ballplayer
I once heard a story about a little boy who was strutting across his backyard wearing a baseball cap and carrying a bat and ball. He boldly announced, “I’m the greatest hitter in the world!” Then he tossed the ball into the air and swung at it with all of his might. He missed. “Strike one!” he yelled out. But that didn’t discourage him.
Undaunted, he picked up the ball and repeated, “I’m the greatest hitter in the world.” He threw the ball into the air. But when he swung at it the second time, it was strike two! That still didn’t discourage the young fellow. This time, he examined the bat and ball carefully. Then he rubbed his hands together, straightened his cap, and declared once more, “I’m the greatest hitter in the world!” He tossed the ball into the air and swung at it again. But he missed the ball for the third time. Strike three!
The boy paused for a moment to ponder the situation and then exclaimed, “Wow! I’m the greatest pitcher in the world!”
That little boy’s optimistic attitude prompted him to give an encouraging meaning to what had happened. He was saying, “OK, if I’m not the greatest hitter in the world, then I must be the greatest pitcher.”
Finding Good
Your attitude determines how circumstances impact your life. If you try, you can always find a way to highlight the good in a bad situation. There’s an old saying—“You’ll find whatever you’re looking for.” If you’re always looking for the gloomy side of life, you’re going to find it.
Of course, as we process the circumstances that occur in our lives, it’s easy to focus on the wrong things. The world has programmed us to be negative. Just look at the news reports. News is not news unless it’s bad. We’ve been trained to focus on the dark side of every situation.
In Philippians 4:8, the Apostle Paul described some of the specific things we should all focus on. Here is that verse from the New Living Translation: “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
What do we concentrate on so much of the time? We focus on the worst and not the best, don’t we? But if we will focus on the good, it will brighten our day and help us have a more positive outlook on life.
Here is a word of encouragement. The circumstances of life may be making you dizzy. The problems may be swirling all around you. But if you will keep your faith focused on the Rock—the Lord Jesus Christ—it doesn’t matter what kind of circumstances you’re facing. God will be right there to deliver you—and not out of just one or two circumstances, but out of them all!
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This was taken from Lynette's book, Along the Way: Building a Legacy That Changes Lives!
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