Half-Empty or Half-Full?

Are you a “the cup is half-full” kind of person or “the cup is half-empty” kind? To be honest, I can be both! Doesn’t it really just depend on each particular circumstance? Or maybe even your mood? If you’ve had a rough day at the office or at home with the kids, you may be thinking the glass is looking half-empty. Or, maybe you just got a raise or promotion or your kids were especially good today and you were able to get all the laundry done, the house clean AND dinner on the table at a decent time! Maybe you even had time to shower too! Now that same glass is probably looking half full!

Or maybe you are just the ever-optimistic type that no matter the circumstances you ALWAYS see the glass half-full, if you are, I commend you because even though I lean more toward that perspective, I have found myself on more than one occasion seeing the glass half-empty. Like the time my almost two year old twins decided shortly after breakfast one day to glob Vaseline in their baby fine hair (when I say glob, I mean globbed!) so thick it took the entire day to get it all out! That glass? Half-empty! But I can look back at that day now and laugh with my twins about it as they get a big kick out of hearing that story! Same glass, now half-full. Funny how time can change our perspective.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget the proud looks and smiles on their little faces as they approached me to show me their beautiful handiwork or the moment of shock I felt when I saw them. You know that moment- the one where your eyes see what they see but your brain can’t quite grasp the reality of the situation? I believe it is that very moment, when our brain is trying to rationalize what is happening and we are deciding whether or not we should freak out or just breathe that we have the opportunity to choose whether or not we want to have a “half-full” or “half-empty” attitude.

As I alternated girls in the kitchen sink that day all the way up to dinner time, my optimism was in short supply. My cup was half-empty! All I could think about was the other thousand things I had to do that day that were not getting done! I have no idea what those things were now but that day they were VERY important!

Maybe cynicism or a bad day, bad month or maybe even a bad year has darkened your view and all you see sitting before you is a half-empty glass and that’s all it will ever be. How do we change that? Can we even change it? What if we choose to treasure the moment that moment?  Even if the circumstances aren’t ideal, there is hidden treasure to be discovered there. I believe if we change our perspective to see the glass as half-full even when it looks half-empty we would essentially find more moments to treasure and truly treasure the moments more!

What if we take that second to breathe and seek God in the moment? And when we find Him, allow Him to reveal the treasure hidden there. What if? Would your glass still look half-empty or maybe, just maybe if you allow God to open your eyes you will see your cup is not half-full but overflowing!

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Jesus speaking)

 Matthew 6:21 (NIV)