“It is a beautiful and blessed world we live in, and while life lasts, to lose the enjoyment of it is a sin.” –A.W. Chambers
It is a beautiful and blessed world we live in, and those who think it is not have either experienced more tragedy in their lives than the human body can handle or they have a distorted view of the world. In most cases it is the latter. Some people magnify their everyday problems to the point that they conclude that life is barely worth living. This is a real shame, because the very gift of life in this world is, in and of itself, a wonderful blessing. This is not, however, to say that there are no negatives in life. Indeed, most of us experience major struggles throughout our lives.
In the words of M. Scott Peck, M.D., author of The Road Less Traveled, “Life is difficult, and life is complex.” Anyone who disagrees with this view is in denial of the harsh facts of life. I am a firm believer in the value and power of positive thinking. A psychologist once told me, “Positive thinking is no more rational than negative thinking, but it sure makes life a lot more enjoyable.” There is a big difference, though, between being a positive thinker and trying to maintain a constant and perpetual Pollyanna attitude toward life, no matter what happens. Those who attempt to see only the positive side of life are in danger of having their optimism turn into extreme pessimism when they are faced with an especially bad experience.
The key to enjoying life is to always focus on the big picture. Sure, we’ve all got problems, but most of us have a lot more blessings than problems. Those of us who are blessed with the gift of sight can have no doubt that the world is beautiful. Mother Nature provides us with some awesome sights no matter where we live. And those of us who are blessed with hearing are so enriched by the sounds of nature and by music. But, no matter how sunny our lives are, we will inevitably experience some storms along life’s journey. During these storms, it is especially important to remember the sunny days from the past, and to look forward to additional sunshine farther along life’s journey.
No matter how much heartache we experience as we travel through life, the world is still a beautiful place and we are fortunate to be alive. If we focus on the beautiful parts of life, it will be easier to cope with those aspects of life that are not so beautiful. Although some of us experience more storms than others as we travel the road of life, we will all inevitably experience our share of storms. During these storms, we should not lose focus on the beauty of this world.
Think about it.
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Copyright 2024
Allen W. Smith
