Crazy Thinking
For some crazy reason there is a huge disparity between the way I think and the way I see things. If I have ninety-nine good things going on in my life or at work and only one bad thing, I tend to dwell on and stress over the one bad thing. That is not good and I know it. When it comes to seeing, especially with my nature photography, it tends to be right the opposite. If I’m out photographing and 99% of what I’m around is ugly or boring and 1% is beautiful, I’ll focus on the beautiful and make the most of it. I wish I thought more like I see. I have a feeling God would rather have me focusing on the positives in my life than the negatives. I’m not much good to Him or anyone else when I’m stressed out and fretting too much over the bad.
I got to thinking about all of this the past couple of days. This past week I spent five days photographing in the Ozarks in Missouri and Arkansas. I had never been to this region and was really looking forward to doing some spring photography there. When we arrived, however, there were very few signs of spring. Apparently the cold and prolonged winter we’ve had in the south has caused there to be a significant delay in the arrival of spring in the natural world. I thought for sure I’d be photographing redbuds and dogwoods and wildflowers but for the biggest part of the trip these were absent. For all practical purposes it might as well have been February.
Some may have despaired and given up after discovering the conditions were not what one expected but I have learned over the years that there is always beauty to be found somewhere. It may not be found in what you had hoped for but it is there nonetheless. By focusing on some of the springs and waterfalls in the area, as well as some pretty remarkable geological features, I was able to take a lot of lovely images.
Somehow I have got to figure out a way to take the same approach with my thinking. It’s absurd for people (me or anybody else) to ignore or minimize the good and beautiful in their life because one or two things in it are not so good or beautiful. Such negativity is harmful. It keeps a person from living a life of gratitude and also robs them of a tremendous amount of joy and peace. I certainly realize one should not ignore his or her problems and that they do, indeed, have to be faced and dealt with. What I must learn to do, however, is not let my focus get distorted so that the problems become larger than they actually are.
Jesus said that he came so that we “may have life and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) One way I can experience more of this abundant life is by focusing not just my eyes but my mind on the blessings in my life. I have a feeling that doing so will give me a new perspective on my problems and might just enable me to do a better job of dealing with them. What do you think?
Chuck
(I took the top image at Ozark National Scenic Riverways, the middle one at Elephant Rocks State Park, and the bottom on at Buffalo National River.)