“As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18, ESV).

     I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. I opened the curtain and daylight was nowhere to be found. I asked Alexa to play a song. She obliged with the following dirge:

All the leaves are brown (all the leaves are brown)

And the sky is gray (and the sky is gray)

I’ve been for a walk (I’ve been for a walk)

On a winter’s day (on a winter’s day)

If I didn’t tell her (if I didn’t tell her)

I could leave today (I could leave today)

California dreamin’; (California dreamin’)

On such a winter’s day (California dreamin’)

I apologize. Now, the song is stuck in your head, too.

     I get it. Winter hasn’t arrived, as yet. The fall leaves, however, are turning brown in my neighborhood. The sky is becoming gray, and the political commercials are giving me a varicose brain.

     I found myself dreaming, not of California, but of chilling on a quiet beach in south Florida. I wanted to leave the dreariness behind. I longed for a sunnier day.

Perspective is a funny thing. No two persons see identically alike. My wife notwithstanding. Cathy leaped out of bed and greeted our three cats with a happy hello this morning. I heard her singing in the shower. She was as content as a crocodile during a wildebeest river crossing.

     Paul encouraged the church not to focus so much on the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. Obviously, my wife and I were looking in different directions. She had chosen the better view.

     Trained photographers know well the power of perception. When searching for the perfect picture, an experienced photographer will make deliberate, conscious choices as to what lens to use, which angle to take, and where the camera should be aimed. These are the choices a shutterbug uses to capture the world’s hidden beauty.

     Our lives should follow a similar pattern. Ugliness can be found everywhere. Gray skies and brown leaves are not hard to locate. However, there also is beauty to be discovered. A breathtaking snapshot is always available to those who seek it.

     Just like photographers, our outlook depends upon the thinking patterns we choose. The lens we select will dictate your viewpoint. Confucius once said that everything has beauty. Just not everyone sees it.

     So, as the children’s song warns, be careful little eyes what you see. Your disposition ultimately will be determined by your recognition.