“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light.” Matthew 6:22 (NLT)
The more we focus on the negative, the more we end up subscribing to certain misbeliefs that cause unhappiness. One of those misbeliefs is thinking that every problem in life is somehow our fault. I don’t know why we seem to love beating up on ourselves! And if we aren’t blaming ourselves for our problems, chances are we’re blaming someone else.
Another misbelief is thinking that a problem in one part of our lives translates to issues in every area. Unfortunately, that only fuels feelings of helplessness and despair.
But a positive focus is just as powerful as a negative one. For example, I have a cousin whose training as an Olympic runner was cut short after a horrific accident left her a paraplegic. Despite being wheelchair-bound, she chose to have a phenomenally positive attitude and continued to chase her dreams.
She became a gym teacher, travelled the world for sports and became a Canadian Paralympic medalist. Over the years, people wrote articles about her and named streets after her. Why? She refused to focus on what she didn’t have and instead concentrated on using the gifts she did.
Your eye—what you focus on—is what feeds you, positive or negative. Now, I’m not saying that we should ignore our problems, but a pessimistic outlook on a challenging situation doesn’t benefit anyone.
Choosing an optimistic attitude helps you see solutions and possibilities. The power of a positive, healthy focus opens your eyes to hope and shuts the door to despair.