Is the Glass Half Empty or Half Full?

Good question!

For me, it's neither.  You see, I would look and say, "That glass has 50% water in it."

I'm a realist.  Sometimes I feel quite positive and the spin is hope and faith that 50% more will show up.  Sometimes I feel quite negative and think that it will always and only be filled to 50% capacity.  But most of the time, I just say it like it is.

Some people find that negative and would prefer me, I'm sure, to be more positive.  And when I refuse to join in with the doom & gloom bunch, they say I'm always looking on the bright side.  You can never win when you're a realist.

Beware the positive police.  They like to look for all the people who are sounding a little negative and try and cheer you up, encourage you to place a positive spin on whatever the issue is.  If you can't get with their program, well then you're labelled "sooooo negative." 

I wonder what the positive police would do with Psalm 13?  You see, this is my kind of psalm.  The writer acknowledges how they feel, just listen....

Psalm 13
For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
3 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;
4 my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

David here, is not afraid to say what he's feeling and he writes it down for all to see.  He doesn't keep his troubles to himself and put on a happy face when the others are around.  No!  He lets it all hang out.  I like that because when I'm feeling down and unhappy, a little negative perhaps, I like to talk it out.  I like to write it out.  I don't know why I'm that way, I just am! When things are getting me down I react and my first reaction is usually, "Oh no! How will I cope?" or some such crazy question.  I'll ask God what the heck He thinks He's doing letting it happen.  Doesn't He know I've had enough?  Doesn't He realize I can't take any more stress?
 
But then, I begin to realize as I talk it out and share it with my friends, that it will be ok. The stress will begin to ease as my friends reassure me.  And if I sense for one minute that I'm really discouraging someone else, then I'm usually quick to pick up my bootstraps and tell people just what David did next:
 
5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the LORD,
for he has been good to me.

In my journey of faith, in spite of my position as a minister, I'm still not always there.  I can usually handle the biggies - oh ya, bring on a major disaster, illness or death and I'm good with that.  I can see the beginning and the end.  But bring on all those minor little stresses that add up over time, that sometimes never seem to end and the end of my rope quickly shows up.  My last nerve gives up and dies!  I think sometimes that I'd like to be all positive and paint a rosy picture on everything that happens, but I'm just not there yet. I'm working on it, give me a break!
 
But we are all different.  Some of us have an easier time than others to see the positive side of things.  Many times I'm going along and I'm just as positive as the next person.  But when the stresses of life add up, it can get a teeny bit tiring holding my head up.  That usually happens when I take my eyes off God - I get so busy with the business of living, that I forget to renew myself.
 
Forgive me for being human!  ;o)
 
He does. 
 
He forgives me for being negative sometimes.
 
He reminds me that some of his most negative servants made it into His Holy Book!
 
So I'm in good company.
 
And I will trust Him.  I will trust God's unfailing love.  I love to sing all about it.... have a listen!
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwH-Hf6LmJ4&feature=related
 
grace... kathie