Two shoe salesmen went to a south sea island. Both men noticed that no one wore shoes or sandals. The first salesman wrote home that he was returning since there was no need for shoes. No one wore them. The second salesman wrote home that he was staying and to send as many shoes as possible.

Some will read this parable as an attempt to impose western values on other cultures. Others will treat it like an Aesop fable, simply a story with a point. What is the point? Our perspectives will often be reflective in how we view life, in how we set our goals and priorities.

We half jokingly speak of the proverbial cup – “half empty or half full” – as if it defines others but never ourselves. Yet I know that I am both. Some days I bemoan the fact that the top half is gone and the bottom end is quickly passing away. Other days I am challenged by the thought that there is much space left in my cup to fill. In those moments I find myself engaged with life, pressing forward.

Have you ever found yourself talking to yourself? Some people think that engaging in self-talk may be reflective of a mind losing touch with reality. Yet, for me, losing touch with reality occurs when I engage only with the bottom end of my life and bemoan what has been and never will be again. My self-talk easily becomes negative and even self-absorbed.

Recently Esther and I went for a walk through our local cemetery. Since ours was a military family I like to look for markers that may identify those who may have shared the same experiences as my dad and grandfather. One commonality exists for all. Death is no respecter of persons or creed. Strange to say but in that place I had an epiphany moment. I saw my life, not from the bottom end, but from the top end; not from what remains but that there is much more to do. I left behind “the dead”, that I might move forward with more purpose and resolve.

Which brings me back to self-talk. The Psalmist was not a stranger to this. Even when things were tough he understood that there is a place for healthy self-talk. “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of my countenance” (42: 5, 11).

Half full or half empty? We are both, not either. We all have those moments when we must speak to our soul and declare truth and not feelings. Does this negate what we may be going through at a given moment? Not at all. Yet we are not defined by the moment. We are defined by our perspectives on life, by living in our potential and pursuing our “utmost for His highest” (Oswald Chambers). Only then will we choose to live from the top half.

“Send me more shoes!”

Blessings!