It's advice that's easy to say and hard to do.

Change your perspective.

Those are three little words that roll off my tongue rather often, and more times than not they are directed to the youngest people in my home.  Then I follow it by saying “Remember, your perspective determines your reality.” (Podcasts cliche')

Yeah, I know. That’s “Mother of the Year” caliber right there. A few words, a little look, and bing-bang-boom the universe is put back in order. Except …. NOT!

Not long after reminding my little dears of their good fortune, lack of gratitude, and going over the script about orphaned and hungry kids around the world does my own need for a perspective shift come center stage.

Oh you know, it’s the important stuff that I get all worked up about. Things like an unmade bed or laundry being left in the washer. If it’s a really bad day, I get to complain about being interrupted 10,000 times before I can even sit down for my noon breakfast or a child who just doesn’t understand his or her school work for the day. If it’s a terrible horrible no good very day, there may be an unexpected bill that will still get paid, rush hour traffic when I just want to get the kids to soccer, a conflicted friendship, a late working husband, and PB& J for dinner.

Then in the moment when my anger wants to rise and the world seems all too unfair do I hear the gentle whisper of a loving father, “Change your perspective my child.”

Oh yeah, that little piece of advice. Right!

As true as it is that our focus more often than not becomes our reality. It is equally as true that changing perspective to see the positive is easy to say and hard to do, especially when it is our day that was negatively affected. Yet with practice it is possible. Not perfect, but possible.

There is scripture that has helped me know HOW to change my perspective and WHAT to see instead.  It’s like editing software for life. It allows me to re-frame the day and focus in on the good.

If needed, maybe you can glean something from it as well:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

Changing my perspective doesn’t change the events of my day, but it does change how I choose to view them. And that makes a BIG difference.