Daily Devotion - Wednesday, June 10

Perspective: :-) OR :-(

Recently I was reviewing some e-mail correspondence between two people who were both looking at the present economic cloud that hangs over the country these days. One person describing their situation which has seen some glimmers of hope, concluded their e-mail with :-(. The other person whose situation seems to going from "healthy" to "shaky", concluded their e-mail with :-).

I found the communiction interesting. I couldn't help wondering what goes on inside of each of those people, what lens helps the stuggling business person to have a smiling, hopeful outlook, what lense causes the business person who has some hope to not be hopeful, but sad and pessimistic?

I can't help but examine my outlook on life and would want to challenge you to examine your own outlook? What perspective do you bring to life? Are you :-) or :-( ? For me I find strength in these words found in a letter to people in Rome: "I boast in my sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us....."

Have a better day.

--Ben Keckler
06.10.09