Thoughts for Life: THE PINCH PERSPECTIVE. MAYBE YOU SHOULD TRY IT!

Sunday, February 19, 2012

THE PINCH PERSPECTIVE. MAYBE YOU SHOULD TRY IT!

“Unless my husband and I smell smoke or hear glass break, we usually don’t pay much attention to our kid’s bickering. Recently, though, we noticed our daughter Kristin reacting peculiarly toward her older brother, Jordan, who was taunting her with normal sibling stuff such as, ‘I got the last Pop Tart’ or ‘the dog loves me more than you.’

While he teased, we watched Kristin raise her thumb and forefinger about an inch apart, frame Jordon’s head between them, squint one eye, then calmly and with vengeful pleasure compress her fingers like she was snuffing out a flame. She then turned smugly and left him standing there with a half-finished wisecrack. Big brothers live for this tuff, but we all cracked up this time.

Noting how effective the technique was for Kristin, the rest of us started ‘pinching’ our daily irritants. I suppose it feels so good because it keeps annoyances in perspective. Once you miniaturize a problem, it becomes laughable and loses its power to frustrate.

Of course, ‘the pinch’ doesn’t work on every problem. I remember one Christmas season when we experienced a death in the family and other personal trials crashed in on us like unwelcome guests. I couldn’t run, hide, or snuff out my pain; I had to live right through it.

Lying awake one sad, lonely night, I remembered Philippians 4:6-8: ‘Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus….fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely and admirable. think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.’

I felt my faith strengthen: I couldn’t escape suffering, but I could still have peace. Even though it seems to be a contradiction, pain and peace are not mutually exclusive, if you have the right perspective.

Perspective. It’s about not worrying but being honest with God about what you need. It’s about focusing on what you’re thankful for. It’s about fixing your thoughts on high things. It’s about being aware of what you’ve learned and about applying what you know is right. It’s about opening yourself up to God’s peace.

I am resolved not to sweat the small things in life – I’ll just ‘pinch’ them! and even through more serious trials, I’ll remember that the summer of life inevitably slips into winter, when the grand picnic will be remembered either as the battle against the flies or the feast of sweet strawberries, depending on your perspective.” by Linda Crow