a matter of perspective

from pastor kong's blog:

"You are not shaped so much by your environment as you are by your perception of your environment. Life’s events don’t determine who you are; God determines who you are, and your interpretation of life’s events determines how well you will handle the pressures of life. In reality, we have very little control over our emotions, but we do have control over our thoughts, and our thoughts determine our feelings and our responses. That’s why it is so important that you fill your mind with the knowledge of God and His Word. You need to see life from God’s perspective and respond accordingly."

insightful; important yet oft forgotten (:

my favourite prayer (:

in our lives, challenges abound. they come in the form of antagonistic people, unforeseen events, or just seemingly insurmountable odds. yet there's a well-known prayer i really like, because it puts everything so complicated into perspective - i think it's called the serenity prayer:

God grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;

And wisdom to know the difference.