I confess I’m a ‘glass half empty’ person. Sadly, I have to admit I focus on how much more water has to be poured into that glass before it is full rather than how much it already contains. And sadly, in the process, I suspect I miss out on much of the joy and encouragement God has for me in that moment.
An almost too clear example of this occurred this week when my husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary—our forty-third! We decided we would head to a nearby Club for dinner. As we entered, my husband showed his membership card and was given a special ticket to put in a nearby barrel. Apparently, at 7.00pm, a name was to be drawn from this barrel and some lucky person would be given the chance to win up to two hundred dollars by spinning a small ‘chocolate wheel’.
Well, we didn’t think much about it after that. We rarely enter such competitions and of course don’t tend to win anything as a result! But as we were finishing our main course, we heard someone loudly calling out my husband’s name. Lionel made his way to the wheel, spun it—and won fifty dollars!
What a neat thing to happen on our wedding anniversary! My husband quickly pocketed the fifty dollars, commenting it would almost cover the cost of our meal, including drinks. Needless to say, I was delighted. But then … well, then that ‘glass half empty’ side of my personality kicked in with a vengeance.
‘That’s great you won fifty dollars,’ I told my poor husband, ‘but it would have been even better if we’d won the two hundred dollars—or even the hundred dollars!’
My husband looked at me a little stunned but just smiled. He was still basking in the glory of winning fifty dollars. But then, as we waited for our dessert to arrive, something—or perhaps Someone—prompted me to think about my response. Instead of rejoicing over our totally unexpected fifty dollar windfall and the fact that our meal would now cost almost nothing, I had felt peeved that we had missed out on even more money!
At that point, I felt ashamed of myself and my miserly response—but I almost laughed out loud at myself too. How crazy to spoil the joy of the moment by wishing something even better had happened!
‘Well, I think I showed tonight how much of a “glass half empty” person I am,’ I commented.
My husband agreed—a little too readily for my liking! But I couldn’t argue. After all, it was our wedding anniversary.
Since then, this whole event has caused me to reflect in general on my response to God’s gracious acts of kindness in my life—and everything else I enjoy from God’s hand on a daily basis. How often do I ignore what I have and selfishly wish for more, instead of responding with a heart full of thanks? Surely my thoughts and words need to take the same line as Paul’s do in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
How about you? Are you a ‘glass half empty’ or a ‘glass half full’ person? Do you think one honours God more than the other?
Jo-Anne Berthelsen's Blog 
Great post! This sounds a bit similar to my respone (my whining) about having to get our Dutch licences. The whole reason we have to get them is that we finally, after four years of desperate prayer and waiting, got our residency permits. Seems petty to now complain about a consequence of finally getting the permit!
Thanks, Kathy. I see what you’re saying about your situation, although I can understand your feeling a bit frustrated when you thought you were over the big residency difficulties after all that time, only to find these other mountains you have to climb. But you’ll be on the otther side of it all in no time, Kathy! God bless.
Hi Jo-Anne,
Thanks for this challenge to us all. I have to admit that my natural tendency is to be a ‘glass half empty’ person too. I don’t know whether this is due to nature or nurture or a combination but I’ve been trying to change and awareness is a big part of the battle.
Congratulations on your little windfall. I guess it was a dollar for every year of your married life plus an extra $7 bonus.
Your comments have got me thinking, Paula, as to whether my ‘glass half empty’ tendency is a result of nature or nurture. I suspect a fair bit of nurture in my case, but then again I don’t think my only sibling is nearly as ‘glass half empty’ as I am, so perhaps it is a bit of ‘nature’ as well. Maybe it makes us better writers??? Maybe it motivates us to set things right a bit in the world? Not sure – but that’s my excuse anyway! God bless.