It was dark. It was gloomy. Pre-dawn and I was in the car looking for the right location for a great sunrise photo. Anyone who knows me well, knows that early mornings are not really my thing. For me to be up and out of the house that early is a big deal – it usually requires a red-eye flight and a 50 minute drive to the airport for me to be up before the sun.
But this morning there was no sunrise.
No sign of the sun any where. Everything was grey and misty. And instead of reaping the reward of a gorgeous sunrise I got to watch the mist simply become a paler shade of grey.
Not happy.
And then it dawned on me (pun intended). Perspective. It’s all in the way I see it. I could remain ‘not happy’ because I didn’t get what I wanted, or I could look for the gift in what I did have. Hmm, that sounds familiar.
Look for the gift given.
My compact camera isn’t a big fan of low light, but here’s my favourite shot from this misty morning.
I look at it now and I see the beauty in the landscape, remember the moist air on my skin, and the birds warbling ‘good morning’ in the trees. And it was a good morning.
I think of other situations and events happening in my life – things I’d rather not do, pain I’d rather not face, stresses, disappointments and frustrations. I often encourage others to look for the ‘silver lining’ in their grey clouds. I think it’s time to take my own advice, and change my perspective.
Maybe one day I will be quicker to see the good in what appears to be bad, the beauty in the ugly, the lesson in the mistake. Maybe one day I will be able to consider it all joy (James 1:2-3). But today, I will just be thankful for the misty morning.
Is there something in your life that would benefit from a change of perspective?
Flourish! 