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Did you ever notice how two people can look at the same thing and come to completely different conclusions?  That happened to me once on a flight I was taking with my family.  My mom, sister and nephew sat across the aisle from my niece and me.  The flight did not get off to a good start.  As we started to accelerate for take-off, the pilot had to slam on the brakes.  Something about another plane crossing the runway in front of us.  When we started again, the man sitting next to me felt prompted to share tales of previous close calls he’d had on flights.  That didn’t make me any calmer.   Then the fun really began when we actually took off.  We hit turbulence, the likes of which I had never before encountered.  It was rough and endless.  As I held my niece’s hand, I tried to appear calm and collected for her sake as well as mine.  But inside I was begging God to get us safely home.  There were moments when I had my doubts that those prayers were going to be answered.  During all of this turbulence, I looked across the aisle.  My mom and sister were pale.  They were white knuckling the armrests.  We gave each other one of those weak sympathetic smiles you give when you don’t know what else to do.  But between them sat my 3-year-old nephew.  He had the biggest smile on his face. He was giggling and his eyes were just sparkling.  His little hands gripped the arm rests-not in fear-but as though he was trying to steer the plane himself.  When we finally landed I needed a ginger ale to settle my stomach.  I also gave thanks to God for answering my prayers.  My nephew’s response was a bit different.  He said gleefully, “That was fun!!  Can we do that again?”  From my perspective I had survived a near death experience.  To my nephew, the flight had been a giant amusement park ride specially designed for him.  The same situation…two different perspectives.

I wonder to myself, do I sometimes look at situations especially the lessons that God is trying to teach me as experiences to be endured instead of something to be enjoyed?  At the very least, is there something in this circumstance that I can learn from and for which I can give thanks?  How can I try to adopt my nephew’s perspective and have a child’s trust and joy in what the circumstance or situation is trying to provide?  I think one of the answers lie in the scripture  “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you.  Plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11. 

We are all God’s daughters and sons.  God wants to give us the best and provide us with a future.  It doesn’t mean we won’t have turbulence in our lives.  That will come, as certainly as sunny, calm days will.  In everything we need to remember that becoming like children, trusting and delighting in God is one of the best ways to change our perspective.