The Good Side
What do you see? Do you realize that you have a choice about what you focus on?
Verse of the Day
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.”
Today’s Devotional
Read the first verse above again. And again. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good! His love endures forever. I’m a firm believer that what is repeated is important. In a quick search, I found these exact words used once in 1 Chronicles and five times in the Psalms. God clearly want to remind us to give thanks. He even helps us out with our first gratitude: we should be grateful for the never-ending love that God has for us.
Next, one of the things I am grateful for is the way God continues to teach me. The following story is a “parable” that God gave me a couple years ago. I don’t think I could count how many times I have thought about this story since I first wrote it down. It has changed the way I choose to see things (most of the time). I hope it resonates with you the way it continues to resonate with me.
I want you to imagine two people standing in a room. Let’s call them John and Jane. They are back to back, so they can see opposite sides of the room. On one side of this room there is all manner of chaos and problems. It is a mess. Every problem you can think of in this world can be seen on this side of the room. This is what Jane can see.
John, however, can see a different side of the room. The part of the room that John can see is peaceful. It is clean. Every type of joy and pleasantry that you can think of can be seen on this side of the room. There are rainbows and puppies. You get the idea.
At the place where the chaotic side and peaceful side meet, there is a blurry overlap. You can’t exactly tell where one stops and the other starts. It is a gradual fade from bad to good, or good to bad.
John and Jane are in the same room. Do you think they are having the same experience?
At one point, John asks Jane, “Can you see the beauty that I see? This is amazing.” Jane responds quickly, “I know that all of that good stuff is over there, but I have to keep my eye on all of the problems over here. I have to make sure nothing gets worse. I need to know if something has to be handled. Can’t you see everything that’s happening over here?”
John responds, “I can’t see it, but I know it is there. It will always be there. And when one of the bad things has to be handled, I handle it. And then I keep looking at this side of the room. For me, it’s better that way. If you want to, Jane, you could always turn around so you can see what I see.”
So what does my little story have to with today’s verse? We are told over and over to give thanks. Why? Because God is good. And because He loves us with a never-ending love. My proposal to you today is that giving thanks is what allows us to see the good side of this life. Both the good and the bad will always be there. We each get to choose what we see and focus our attention on. When we choose to be grateful, when we seek out things to be grateful for, we are allowing ourselves to see the good side. The less grateful I choose to be, the more I allow myself to worry, fret, and control, the more I am focused on the bad side of life.
Brian McLaren, a pastor and author , teaches that “what you focus on determines what you miss”. If I am focused on the things about myself that I don’t like, I will miss the good parts of me. The same goes for how I see others. What if we apply that theory to gratitude? If I focus on things for which I am grateful, then perhaps I will “miss” some of life’s difficulties. Those difficulties will not disappear, but maybe they won’t blip on my radar, take over my thinking, and derail my attitude.
Some people are more prone to see the good. The opposite is also true, that some people see the bad more easily than others. No matter which way you are wired, I believe gratitude and trust help us to turn – little by little – to where our focus is on the good side of life. Perhaps intentionally choosing to be grateful each day turns the focus of our heart to be able to see the beauty that has always been there. As with all directives given by God, we get to choose whether or not to obey. Today, I want to see and experience the good side of life, so I will choose to be grateful- even if I don’t feel like it. What will you choose?
Today’s Gratitude Challenge 1: Proverbs 16:3 says, ‘Commit your work to the Lord , and your plans will be established.’ I would bet that none of us likes our work all of the time. Whether it’s a job outside the home, a calling, a project, raising children – all of these things constitute our “work”. How often do you thank God for your earthly assignments? What are you grateful for about your work, no matter what that is?
Today’s Gratitude Challenge 2: Third John 1:2 says, ‘Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.’ Many of us take our health for granted. Or like in the story above, we only focus on the things about our physical health that we wish were better. Take the time to thank God for your physical body and your health. If you are currently struggling with illness or disease, invite God into that, and give thanks for the breath in your lungs and the parts of your body that are working.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
Are you focused more on the good side of life today, or the bad?
How can you actively obey God’s command to be grateful today?
How can you show God that you know He is good?
How can you accept God’s never-ending love for you today?
Which side of this life do you choose?
What are you thankful for about your work?
What are you grateful for about your health?