Psalm 8:1-9 –“O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens! 2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, 4 What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? 5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, 7 All sheep and oxen — Even the beasts of the field, 8 The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas.

9 O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth!”  NKJV

Many factors shape who we are, and our ‘World View’ is a definite contributor.  If we believe that all reality is physical and material and life is limited to whatever we experience in this natural body where death ends it all, we will be MATERIALISTIC.  Our focus will be the physical and material in both possessions and pleasure because that is all we will have.  There is no hope of a future beyond the grave. 

Another view is that the Present is Primary, and therefore the focus is on instant gratification.  Yet, another view makes a person willing to postpone some gratification for a richer and more meaningful life later or ‘Delayed Gratification.’ 

Yet another perceives not only the Physical, Material, and Temporal but also the Spiritual and views Eternity as holding paramount significance.  Within that view are two views.  One is Futuristic or “Some Day, Some Way.” 

The other is Eternal Life Now, where the belief is that the Life that we now live in the flesh we live in Christ Jesus, and we are not waiting for Eternal Life. We have experienced it and are living it in the present, waiting for our transition to that other world beyond this one.

Victor Frankl said, “Everything can be taken from man, except the last of human freedoms, his ability to choose his own attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose his own way.”  

Consider this illustration or description.  There was a fine person who was honest and dependable but incredibly negative and focused on what they do not have rather than what they have.  He focused on what is wrong, not what is right, looked for defects, and noticed flaws and corruption rather than concentrating on the incorruptible.  He had a teenage son who worked in the yard for 2 hours, totally unsolicited.  He came home, changed clothes, and went to work in the yard, criticizing everything the son had done and was doing. He defeated the initiative in the teenager and failed to value the beauty of the development of the investment parenting had achieved in the son. 

Attitudes are a part of our character, and every great achievement comes from a progression of small accomplishments.  We eat a meal one bite at a time, read a book one page at a time, and take a journey one step or mile at a time.  Our attitude, not our aptitude, will determine our altitude. In a very real sense, we are what we think.  We are not necessarily what we think we are but are a direct product of what we think.  We open the door by filling our minds with lovely, wholesome, uplifting thoughts and planting the seeds of peace, joy, and fulfillment. 

There are two primary sources of motivation – FEAR and LOVE.  People find motivation through fear of failure, opinions, rejection, etc.  Through love comes a powerful and healthy source of motivation that brings life.  If we grasp who we are in God, we will learn to value Imagination because that is an ability God gave us that allows the soul to put the mind or the reasoning component of our being in places where we cannot be physically present.  Every designer or artist sees the product and then does it.  Noah saw the Ark and then built it.  Then we will allow our WILL to play the God-designed role and enable us to make the right choices and stick to the prescribed path.

Do You Know Who You Are?  You are created in the Image and Likeness of God and are unlimited in your potential in Him!

God bless you as you enjoy this day’s journey in Christ!