Look through the bigger window

By Jeff Becraft

Something happened this morning that reminded me of a lesson I learned a few years ago.  I am at my father’s house and when I first got up, the curtains and blinds were closed and I simply assumed it was rainy and cloudy outside (since I had driven up in the rain and clouds the other day).  But when I opened the blinds, rays of sunshine were beaming through the trees.  It was a beautiful sight.

A few years ago, I got together with some friends in Virginia that I had not seen in years and years.  Each one of them had influenced my life greatly.  (I have mentioned them before.)  We were spending the weekend together at a place called Graves Mountain Lodge.

When I got up that first morning, I was extremely tired from the long drive the previous day, the drapes were pulled shut, the responsibilities of life seemed bigger than could be handled, and all I saw were the four walls of  my room.

After I got ready for breakfast, I opened up the door and stepped out on to the walkway.

There before me was a Virginia valley in morning light, the trees were in fall colors, the mountains were across the valley, the air was brisk, and smoke was pouring out of the chimney down at the main building where they were cooking breakfast.

It was like stepping into another world.

All that was there when I got up… but I didn’t see it.  All I saw were the four walls of my room and the dim light from a lamp.

It is so easy for us to create our own prisons where all we see are the four walls of our circumstances.

We need to look through the bigger window and see the beauty of what is actually there and the hope that brings.  I went from feeling tired and weighed down to awake and excited about the day.

Jeff Becraft is the Executive Director for Youth Corps and has dedicated much of his life to helping shift the vision of people’s lives.  Youth Corps is a life-changing leadership development experience that inspires high school students to be leaders in the Midlands and beyond. You can connect with Jeff at [email protected].