Whether we enjoy life or simply endure it boils down to one thing:  perspective.  How we view our circumstances--both good and bad--determines how we act and react in our daily walk.  We have a tendency to focus on the bad.  We put a magnifying glass on how things are "supposed to be" according to our own warped view of how our lives should play out.  But, how many times do we stop to examine the things that did work out in our lives when, according to all the evidence, shouldn't have worked out at all?

For example, I have--on multiple occasions--tried to create a financial budget for our family.  According to all the "experts," creating a budget helps us to stay within the bounds of our financial state and even save money in the long run.  There's only one problem:  every time I budget, the numbers end up in the red.  EVERY TIME!!!!  Yep, when I enter in how much we make and how much we spend on essentials like tithe, groceries, gas, utilities, mortgage, etc., the math simply doesn't work.  Yet, "somehow" the bills get paid.  According to the budget, it shouldn't work; nevertheless, it does. . . time and time again.

What about that one in a million opportunity that seemed to fall in your lap?  By all odds, that shouldn't have happened, but it did.  What about the cancer that disappeared when the doctors had given up all hope?  What about the people who have walked again when the specialists stated that they were paralyzed for life?  What about the miracles we see every day?  Why isn't our magnifying glass focused on them instead of our troubles?  One word--perspective!

It's a lot like looking at a dandelion.  No doubt, in a just a few more weeks, we'll have about a million of them in our yard.  So when I look out across the property, what will I see--a million weeds or a million wishes?  You've wished upon a dandelion, right?  It's a lot like making a birthday wish instead of blowing out candles, you blow all the little white fluffy things (my scientific term) off the dandelion in a single breath.  If you place a child and an adult in a field of dandelions, you'll undoubtedly see two opposing reactions.  The adult will turn up his nose and possibly even sniffle a little if he has allergies.  The child, on the other hand, will pick a "flower" and blow.  Then do it again and again and again, each time accompanied by a chorus of giggles.  Who is enjoying the experience and who is enduring it?

The Bible says we are to have child-like faith, and I believe that, when it comes to our perspectives, we will do well to be more child-like.  See the good, not the bad.  Examine all the times that things worked out better than anticipated instead of the times they worked out worse.  Magnify the pleasant things in life, not the troubles.  Focus on the wish, not the weeds.

Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. - Psalm 119:18