Grasping For Perspective

This post was originally published five years ago, and still I can say that grasping for perspective in an important life skill to develop. Life ebbs and flows and changes happen whether we ask for them or not. Tough times are as much a part of life as breathing so leaning the art of grasping for perspective is imperative.

Six weeks ago we moved from the house where we have been living for 13 years. When we moved “to the country” our kids were seven, five and one years old. A lot of life happened in that house. This is the home where a many milestones were reached, and a place of first times for my kids.

• First time to walk.
• First learned to ride a bike.
• First loose tooth.
• First teen driver…and the list goes on.

This move out of our home wasn’t particularly pleasant nor was it exactly our choice. You see, we had joined the ranks of countless others who have been foreclosed on. I don’t share that bit of info lightly, or matter-of-factly. It was HARD. It still is at times, but perspective is everything.

I have a friend who is recently divorced. The divorce put a strain on her relationship with her two adult daughters, which is hurtful for my friend, but her daughters have things to deal with. My friend has also been searching for a job and a more affordable place to live. It gets so discouraging at times that she finds herself grasping for perspective.

I visit my aunt weekly, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She is lonely, yet well-loved by her children and grandchildren. She sometimes forgets important people and events of yesteryear. Visiting with her has me grasping for perspective when I leave her house and return to my new home.

My uncle has been in the hospital for about a week. He was having difficultly breathing. They did some tests and discovered he has lung cancer. He was expecting a diagnosis of a different kind. A treatable disease. This bit of news sent him and his family grasping for perspective as they look to God for answers as he prepares to live his last days.

Two other friends had sudden things happen to them. One blacked out for several minutes and didn’t remember anything, the other had a Grand Mal seizure that lasted ten minutes. Testing is being done. They both have small children. That will make you turn grasping for perspective for many reasons, especially having young children.

I could go on and on. The bottom line is the same. No matter what we experience, no matter what curve ball life throws at us, it’s all perspective. You deal with it and go on, knowing that you have very little control over what happens to you, only your reaction or response.

The one thing that remains constant is Jesus, our one true hope.

Have you found yourself grasping for perspective while dealing with the unexpected things that caught you totally off guard and changed your life forever? I am an ordained minister, a trained women’s mentor and certified life coach. I walk with women, helping them to find hope as they decide what is their own unique steps in the dysfunction of their marriages to alcoholics and addicts. Let me know how I can pray for you.