Well, I don’t know about anyone else out there, but I sure feel the weather around here this week has been way too hot for this over-40 lady. LOL!

But seriously, I was just saying to someone today that maybe as you get older, you just don’t adapt to the weather the same??!! I dunno if that is true, but I do know this — it HAS been hot!! And I have been drinking icy cold water, and lots of it. (Anyone else out there with me on this one?) 😉

And looking at all that water got me thinking about the good ol’ debate of whether the glass is half full? Or half empty? And the CLUE to the “correct” response in what you reply (full or empty) is the KEY to defining your … IDENTITY.

“Now JUST what does she mean??” LOL!

Well, likely we all know about the identity options of being either an optimist or a pessimist. And we all know who we kind of secretly want to be and be seen as. Obviously the optimist, right??! RIGHT!

You know who these types are, the people who are just BORN bursting with positivity, versus the pessimists, the people who are nagging with negativity. (Can you think of people on either side of the equation?)

Like, when given a glass of water filled to midpoint, how the optimist will say the glass is half FULL, and the other side will say, “Nope, it’s half EMPTY.” And these personality traits are  based on “stats and facts,” and which way you land really isn’t up to you, is it? You are “blessed” or “burdened” and branded for life, right??!!

Well, you know, I am going to dare to say, “Wrong.”

Huh??!!

Yeah, I know, how can I throw that one out there?! It goes against all the things you read in all the literature, magazines and media today.

OK, well, my best base for my best evidence is??

How about … the Bible.

What??!

It is true, and please hear my thoughts. 🙂

If I look back through the seasons of my life, I can oh-so-clearly see in ME how I used to be living more with a negative lens. Oh, I hear you doubters out here, but it’s true! Just check in with my husband as he used to say how I was a “Negative-Nelly.” (Mostly just seen at home — does anyone else notice how that works?) 

But as much as it hurt to say it, and even if I couldn’t SEE it in myself at the time, he was right. (Isn’t he always in my stories?? Sigh.) 🙂

And when I look at my season of negativity, I can very clearly see it is a match to my stunted season of Spiritual Growth.

Oh yeah, INSIDE I honestly looked at LIFE with the LORD as a big fat “I have to do this,” and “Oh my gosh, it NEVER ENDS.” (Groan.) And “Oh my, here HE keeps bringing up the ‘stuff’ I keep messing up on … again.” Ugh. And secretly thinking, “This ‘spiritual stuff’ just so sucks.”

But life wasn’t feeling so sweet on the outside either. And, you know, as much it “sucked,” I decided to delve in and begin to diligently DO that “spiritual stuff” daily because I had read about the PROMISE of a better life than the one I felt I was living. (Check out the blog post “Double Double” for a bit more on that journey.) 🙂

And, well, guess what?? None of the “negative challenges” on my outside changed, but something else far more important — my INsides. Yes, I began to notice a shift in the way I thought, in the way I reacted, in the way I really wanted to DO this life. And over time, THIS is how I began to VIEW that same “Life with the Lord”:

• Oh yeah, you BET I have to read this BOOK. (Don’t you DARE even try to take it away from me!! Want to see Cranky-Carol appear?? LOL!)

• And oh my gosh! Good thing this WILL never end. (Thank you, sweet Jesus!! I love that I am always stretching and growing and learning NEW things from YOUR WORD!!)

• And, oh yes, Lord, PLEASE bring up the sticky stuff I cannot even see ‘cause I can’t wait to deal with it ASAP, because I know this is Your way to be “growing-up” me. 

And you know what? I now have learned to love a life based on OBEDIENT OPTIMISTIC ENERGY, which, by the way, is true! The best beauty-and-body-energy tip I have ever experienced is this: OBEDIENCE — you just can’t beat the GLOW of a cleaned and washed-out joyful SOUL!

And so, all this to say, yes, there are two ways of looking at the world. The first was fully “mine” and felt full of “failure and falseness.” And the other? ALL HIS, so full of freedom and FUN!!

This is not false — it is not fake — but it did take time and intention and, well, commitment to keep HIS commands over my old concepts. But, ladies, I know it really can be done. (Just look at me and you will see a changed woman where it matters most.)

But don’t just trust my word. CHOOSE to start daily chasing down HIS, and HE will tell you it is true — in 1,001 ways that will mean more to you. 

So, let me know what you think: Are we born with our personality built in? Or can we, through true soul shift, begin to say, “I SEE the world in a whole NEW way”?

Can’t wait to hear what you think!

Carol 😉