I found this section of Lance McMurray’s book Moving Beyond Depression helpful not just for individuals but also for communities. It challenges us to consider what we are founded upon. He writes:
“Another source of depression comes from frustration and despair. It isn’t based on the loss of something, but on the absence of something that was never there in the first place.
It is depression based on the perception of loss. It is depression based on the death of expectation. The philosophy that a half-empty glass is an empty glass is one of the most destructive perceptions of life. This is the idea that if that glass is not filled to the top, brimming over, it might as well be empty. It is an all-or-nothing perception that flies in the face of reality.
No one’s glass is truly filled all of the time. Life simply doesn’t operate that way. As the saying goes, the healthy perception is to view the glass as having fullness. Those who are depressed don’t see the half-empty; they see completely empty. Some rage because the glass never seems to be full. Others despair because they’re convinced they aren’t worthy of even a half-empty glass. Still others quietly accept the fact that the glass will never be full for them. They look at the glass and see what isn’t there instead of what is. They focus on what is absent instead of what is present.”
Quoted from the book Moving Beyond Depression by Gregory L. Jantz Ph.D with Ann McMurray.
Is your glass half full or half empty?
Particularly at Christmas this year, take some time out to see what is in your glass. Why don’t you write a list of the things and blessings that you do have and thank God for them? In addition, ask Him to fill your glass further and to help you see the opportunities that surround you.
Have a very Merry Christmas!
