Daily Encouragement: Day 220

From Handbook to Wisdom, Day 220

IT’S ALL IN YOUR PERSPECTIVE

No one who waits for You will be ashamed,
but those who are treacherous without cause will be ashamed.
Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths;
lead me in Your truth and teach me,
for You are the God of my salvation,
and my hope is in You all day long.
(Psalm 25:3–5)

Now I am a child of God, and what I shall be
has not yet been revealed.
I know that when He is revealed, I shall be like Him, for
I shall see Him as He is.
And everyone who has this hope in Him
purifies himself, just as He is pure.
(1 John 3:2–3)

An optimist said to a pessimist, “Isn’t this a bright, sunny day?” The pessimist replied, “Yes, but if this heat spell doesn’t stop soon, all the grass will burn up.”

Two days later, the optimist said to the pessimist, “Isn’t this rain wonderful?” The pessimist replied, “Well, if it doesn’t stop soon, my garden will wash away.”

The next day, the optimist invited the pessimist to go duck hunting. The optimist wanted to show off his new registered hunting dog that could do things no other dog could. The pessimist looked at the dog and said, “Looks like a mutt to me.”

At that moment, a flock of ducks flew over. The optimist shot one of the ducks and it fell in the middle of the lake. He snapped his fingers and his new dog ran after the duck. The dog ran out on the water, picked up the duck, and ran back on the water. The optimist took the duck from the dog’s mouth, turned to the pessimist, and said, “What do you think of my dog now?” The pessimist replied, “Dumb dog—can’t even swim!”

An eternal perspective enables us to see clearly; a temporal perspective clouds the truth.