Welcome to The Contentment Series Podcast, episode number three! Today I’m going solo and talking about the need for a perspective shift. It’s highly necessary to live a content life and to see what really matters on a regular basis. “How do I do that?” you ask. By managing perceptions. Let’s dig a little deeper today.
“Two men looked through prison bars. One saw mud, the other saw stars.” – Dale Carnegie
Have you heard that quote before? It’s a favorite of mine. The man who said it? He was born to live his life in the mud. Poverty. On a ramshackle farm in Missouri. But the mud didn’t stick. Instead, he became a well-known author and lecturer on the very subject of self-improvement and communication.
UNCOMFORTABLE SITUATIONS AND HEALING
Jesus did some seemingly weird stuff in the book of Mark. He even spit on his fingers and then proceeded to touch a man’s tongue. Gross right? But he didn’t need to do that. It’s not like Jesus had some ritual or spell he needed to perform in order to help the man to speak. He just wanted to see if this guy could rely on him.
I JUST NEED…
Food. At least that’s what the disciples thought. After helping Jesus feed 4000 people with only seven loaves of bread, they started to freak out about the fact that they’d forgotten to bring bread for themselves. Uh. Reality check. You actually need Jesus. So do I. I catch myself saying “I just need…” out loud waaaayyy too often.
HOW TO MANAGE PERCEPTION
Well, first of all, we need to speak what is real. I created an exercise for myself that I think might just benefit you too. Download the “Managing Perceptions” Worksheet here.
The most important thing to remember is that we need Jesus. If our focus is on him, the rest will be taken care of and then some. Remember? There were SEVEN BASKETS of bread left after Jesus fed 4000 people–from just seven little loaves. He can take care of more than our basic needs and the needs of the world. Our problem is, we just can’t seem to rely on him first. Let’s change that.
Download Managing Perceptions Worksheet
Pastor Bobby Parschauer – The Servant King | Mark 7:31-8:30
A visual on that big, beautiful rose bush
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