Main Title: Which Way Are You Looking?

By Pastor Michael Magbag

Scripture:

Romans 15:13
New International Version (NIV)

¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

A man once found a P50 bill on the ground. After that, he always looked down when he walked along the street hoping to find other. Over the course of the years, he found 539 hairpins, 68 paper clips, 19 ball pens, 137 five-centavo coins, 221 ten-centavo coins, and a very large assortment of candy wrappers. But in all those years, he never again saw a flower, a tree, or the smile of a passing stranger.

If we just look down at our problems, we will never see life’s beauty. We will be like the man who kept his head down hoping to find money. Or like the centipede who was doing fine until someone asked him which of his one hundred legs came after which. He'd never thought of that before. The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't remember, and he found he couldn't walk at all.

It’s interesting that people tend to look down. Have you ever noticed how when you enter a room or building you notice the floor first? Rarely does anyone look up at the ceiling when they enter. That tendency seems to also apply to life. We see the bottom, the negative, the mud instead of the stars. I guess it depends on which way you are looking. As long as Jesus lives in us there is always reason for hope. There’s a reason to look up.

Try another viewpoint. You might be surprised how wonderful the world looks!