How do you view the unexpected? How do you react when something doesn't happen as you thought it would? Or when something comes "out of the blue?" Do you see it as a problem or as an opportunity?
I wonder if the answer to that depends on our personality. Are we the "glass is half full" or the "glass is half empty" sort of person. Let me explain with this quote from Wikipedia "Is the glass half empty or half full?" is a common expression, a proverbial phrase, generally used rhetorically to indicate that a particular situation could be a cause for pessimism (half empty) or optimism (half full), or as a general litmus test to simply determine an individual's worldview. The purpose of the question is to demonstrate that the situation may be seen in different ways depending on one's point of view and that there may be opportunity in the situation as well as trouble."
In my experience we all tend toward one or the other - we are either glass half full or glass half empty people. Neither is necessarily right or wrong but I think it's better to be optimistic (glass half full) than to be pessimistic (glass half empty). Of course being optimistic doesn't mean that everything will always work our perfectly but it does mean we look at life with a smile rather than a frown. We look for the opportunities in the unexpected rather than automatically seeing the problems.
When the Israelites started their journey out of captivity in Egypt - an expected deliverance from the hands of a hard taskmaster (Pharaoah) - do you think most were optimistic or pessimistic. Most, at that point anyway, would have been optimistic.
What about the Disciples when they saw Jesus betrayed and arrested. They were probably pessimistic at that stage but as we know later they became optimistic as they took the good news that Jesus died and rose again so that everyone could have a restored relationship with God for all time.
If you are a follower of Christ, a Christian, then you not only have reason to be optimistic you have the opportunity to be optimistic in all things. If you tend to be a glass half empty type of person with God's help you can become a glass half full person and see the opportunities in the unexpected.
When life "throws you a curve ball" and the unexpected happens this week may you see the opportunities that the situation provides.
Blessings for a great week.
Peter
