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The Power of Perspective

This truth was bought home to me recently through an unusual source… Collingwood Football Club's star player; Nick Daicos.

For those who don’t know Nick Daicos; he is 20 years old and began playing for Collingwood two years ago... and quickly became our best player, and one of the greatest players in the sport. And this year, he was the favourite to win the Brownlow (AFL's best and fairest), something a second year player has never done before.

Then a couple of weeks ago, he fractured his knee cap during a match. This meant that he was sidelined for 6 weeks; losing all chances of the Brownlow, and obviously seriously affecting his team and career.

I was so shocked to see an interview with him that he gave only two days after the accident.

He said that when he received the results of the scan, it was the WORST scenario possible, and he walked out of the club room feeling really dejected.

Then the first person he saw was the player who’d be taking his place in the team. And suddenly he realised that as hard as it was for him, he also realised that this was an opportunity that the other player had been longing for all year. And so instead of continuing in his sorrows, he congratulated the player and said, “Here’s your opportunity, grab it with both hands!"

Nick Daicos said that the next day he got a text from a player for another team, and the player said how sorry he was for Nick and wished him the very best in his recovery. Nick said that he was amazed because this same player had done his ACL only two weeks earlier and would be out for 12 months' recovery. And it helped give him perspective... yes, he'd be out for six weeks whilst his knee recovered, but he was grateful that it was only six weeks and not an entire year like this other player.

He said that he was brought up in a home where his parents continually taught him and his brother the "power of perspective". You can see every situation as bad or as good as you want! And he said that he’s always been taught to look at everything through a perspective of others, of hope and of good.

 

If a non-christian can act like this... how much MORE should we as Christians!

  • We know that we are living our life with a God who is with us every step of the way

  • We know a God who has promised us that He’ll never leave or forsake us

  • We know a God who’s promised us that He has a future and a hope for us.

  • We know a God who’s promised and ensured us of an eternal future with Him

 

This message from a 20 year old, non-Christian, sportsman has so impacted me - and it made me stop and re-evaluate how I look at my life, my day, my bank balance, my house, my family.

  •  Rather than complaining about how much laundry I have to do… I’m grateful for every person that wears the clothes that I’m washing and the amazing family God has blessed me with.

  • Rather than complaining about the rising cost of living…. I’m grateful for a God who always provides my every need, and the prophetic word that this is our year for the maximum.

  • Rather than complain about the cost of petrol… I’m grateful for a beautiful car to drive.

  • Rather than being sad at those who can’t come to Church on a Sunday… I look at every person who is there and am so grateful for.

 

I've discovered that what you focus on and where your focus is - your emotions will follow! So if I’m constantly focusing on what I don’t have, my emotions and my soul are going to be following in that direction.

 It doesn’t matter what challenges you are facing, what needs you have…. There are ALWAYS things to be grateful for!

Another very wise person who has impacted my life greatly is Miss Carolyn Savelle. And she preached a message in Queensland a few years ago on the power of gratitude:

"Gratefulness to God and gratefulness to others will open the door to God’s blessings!"

 

I challenge you today to write down everything you are grateful for.

  • Instead of thinking of the people who aren’t currently in your life… write down the names of those who are.

  • Instead of looking only at what you don’t have… write down all the things that God has blessed you with.

  • Instead of obsessing over the dreams which haven’t come to pass yet… write down all the miracles you are currently living in.

 

Recently I was struggling regarding somebody who had meant a lot to me but was no longer in my life. And I was finding myself continually thinking about how hard it was and how sad I was. And then I felt the Lord speak to me through this article on perspective and God told me to stop focusing on those who weren’t in my life, and start thanking Him for those were in my life! And suddenly I realised that there were wonderful people who God has brought into my life, but I was just focusing on the one person who had moved on.

 

And I'll finish this with a quote from Nick Daicos... "You can't always control every situation, but it's always your choice how you view it."