The Power of Perception.

Before Adam went out of town the other night he woke Jace and McKayley up at 2:00am. I was sleeping and had no idea he did this until the next morning after Adam had already left. Here is what happened according to McKayley-

"Dad woke me up at 2:00am! He told me to come outside with him. Mom, it was amazing. It was so dark and the stars were shining bright. You could hear all the frogs. It was so cool. Then dad set up the telescope. Guess what I saw Jupiter! At first I thought it was just a star with four other stars around it, but mom-It was actually Jupiter's moons."

She was smiling from ear to ear telling me what happened. This is a memory hopefully she will always cherish.

Now here is what happened according to Jace-

"I was sleeping and dad came and got me out of my bed. He took me outside in my pj's mom. The frogs and all the night bugs were so loud. Did I mention I was in my pj's?! We had to look through the telescope"

He was not smiling and I doubt this is a memory (at least now) he cherishes.

I couldn't help but laugh at how differently their perception of the 2:00am wake up call was.

It got me thinking about the power of perception and how different we all are. Have you ever written an email or blog post that you meant to have an effect but then turned out to be perceived completely differently than how you meant it.
I think a lot of times how we perceive something is a direct reflection of where we are emotionally at that time.
This incident of Jace and Mckayley was such a huge reminder to me. Lately my perception has been a little"off".

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" Henry Ford

My recent perceptions of myself and my life.
1. I'm exhausted.
2. I look old.
3. I feel old.
4. I'm ugly.
5. My hands are too full.
6. The twins are too much.
7. I made a mistake.
8. I'm trapped
9. Life was better when...
10. I'm a terrible mother.
11. I don't do enough.
12. My house is a disaster.
13. I need a break.
14. If only my husband was around more....
15. I don't want to get out of bed.
16. Nobody does anything around here.
17. I'm sick all the time.
18. If only I had family that was around...
19. I can't stand all the whining.
20. I have no friends.

Is this what I want? No. Then why am I buying into all the lies? God did not create me for defeat.
John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he..

Do my circumstances need to change?
No.
I do. My perception needs to.
I have read over the last few years on blogs of parents suffering the unthinkable their children dying or a spouse dying. There are families fighting cancer, disease, and hardships-yet their perspective is clear. They see God's hand. They believe His promises. They cling to His truth.
My life is amazing. It is what God has given me. To think of my circumstances as anything other than beautiful is a selfish perception. Yes. I might feel like I'm struggling and times might seem hard but My God is awesome!