Telephoto lenses are great for shooting scenes that are far away. A photographer can focus the lens on a scene and get enlarged images of a subject. However, not everything benefits from magnification. Sometimes my husband takes close-up shots of my face. Every blemish and pore appears enlarged.
In life, whatever we choose to focus on appears magnified. When we fixate over problems, they appear bigger. When we concentrate on our blessings, they are enlarged. The opposite is also true. If we take our blessings for granted, they seem diminished. If we refuse to obsess over our problems they seem less formidable.
I am not advocating that anyone live in denial. Yet, even under difficult circumstances, we can choose what we pay attention to. Every person experiences setbacks and disappointments, but not all bounce back.
Refocusing on the positive rather than the negative, the controllable rather than the uncontrollable, the changeable rather than the unchangeable, can boost our emotions and improve our resilience.
Focusing on what we can do to move forward is useful. However, focusing on God, experiencing Him up close--can help us gain a different perspective. Some people have learned to use their trials and afflictions as a magnifying glass to study God’s glory up close. I’m not there yet.
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