Half Empty? Not Really.

The other day, as I worked in the kitchen, I pondered something Elisabeth Elliot once said:

“It is always possible to be thankful for what is given rather than resentful over what is withheld–one attitude or the other becomes a way of life.”

Is it possible? I suppose so. But that mindset would be difficult for someone like me who was born a pessimist.

I placed a long bread knife in a kitchen drawer, in a heap with the other long knives. I hope no serious cook ever sees the sub-standard housing I give my knives.

Only four drawers. That’s all I have in this kitchen, so the knife situation can’t be helped. It was sure hard to give up those seven drawers, but at least I finally got my remodeled kitchen.

Stop! You don’t always have to see the glass half empty.

But maybe having the mindset of the proverbial half-empty glass isn’t all bad.

What if I take a different perspective? What if, in the half that appears empty, I ‘see’ the unseen? The wonderfully precious blessings beyond our senses and beyond the physical world. Perhaps seeing the half-empty glass isn’t a short-coming if I remember that the top half of the glass is full. It’s full of all the things God gives His children which can never be taken away. Love, mercy, goodness, grace, patience, kindness, beauty, truth, humility, and more.

This is what Paul encouraged the church at Corinth to do – to ‘see’ the unseen:

“As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18 ESV

As you work in the kitchen preparing for Thanksgiving, consider the half empty glass. What are the unseen, eternal blessings that you are grateful for?