FROM ZERO-HOOD TO HERO-HOOD

"And Joshua had said to the two men who had spied out the country, Go into the harlot's house, and bring the woman out from there, and all that she has, as you swore to her" (Joshua 6:22, Modern King James Version). 

Perspective is important. A lot in life depends on the angle from which you view things. A glass of water that some see as half empty is seen by others as half full. While Israel's army saw a powerful Philistine giant to be feared in Goliath, David saw in him an uncircumcised Philistine whose head should be taken off for defying the people of God. Those who saw a powerful Philistine giant fled before Goliath in terror. But the stripling who saw an uncircumcised Philistine ultimately succeeded in taking off Goliath's head without much ado. Perspective will always deliver after its own kind. 

The world saw in Rahab a harlot to be dumped after being used to satisfy the sinful lust of men. But Joshua saw a woman with a future, if only she could be rightly nurtured and mentored in a conducive environment. And so, he told the two spies to go into the harlot's house, and bring the woman out from there. Joshua's positive statement of faith may very well be the foundation for the eventual transformation of Rahab from a despicable prostitute into a woman of substance who Providence gave a place in the prestigious ancestry of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

I wish we all could understand that there is a real woman in every prostitute on the street. I wish we knew that there is a person of destiny in every juvenile case in our communities. I wish parents would understand that there is a success hiding in every deviant child. If we have the right perspective, nurture the right attitude toward them, and take appropriate steps, we can bring out the real woman in every prostitute, the person of destiny in every juvenile case, and the quality individuals tucked away in the deviant youngsters creating problems in our homes. 

The letter 'o' may be the last letter in the word 'zero', but remember that it is also the first in the word 'opportunity'. The end of something is always the beginning of another thing, and it is significantly up to you to decide what beginning it would be. Don't get angry and complain of delay when the coconut is yet to drop off from the tree. Rather, see it as a period of ripening so that you can have your coconut in a sweeter and more nutritious form. The same conditions of life that frustrated some and made them to commit suicide have driven others to think and challenged them to greatness. When you learn to have the right perspectives in life, life will respond by giving you its best. 

Let me add this vital point as I close. The greatest tool with which to correctly shapen and sharpen your perspectives on any aspect of life remains the word of God. God, being the omniscient one has the most correct perspective on every issue from marriage and family to business, politics entertainment and health. The word of God which contains His thoughts on every matter can surely help us to nurture the right attitude. When you align yourself with the word of God and agree with God's judgment on every issue, you will have the correct perspective that brings you the best in every circumstance.