Half Empty Or Half Full?

I'm sure you've heard the question before: Is your glass half empty or half full? I answered this

question in a forum recently where the person who posed the question seemed to think that the glass is half empty for most people. I daresay I was pleased that most of the respondents, including myself, agreed that it was a matter of perspective and for many, the glass was half full.


This question reminded me of Ruth and Naomi who I wrote about in a recent post. If you haven't read it yet, you may read it here. Naomi became bitter over the loss of her husband and sons, while Ruth, who had also lost her husband, looked to the future with hope.

Ruth could have easily become despondent and bitter. She was a young widow and she did not have a son to provide for her. Two factors that put her at a great disadvantage, unless she could remarry. When Naomi, her mother-in-law, decided to leave for Judah, Ruth readily decided to follow her. Ruth saw her glass as half full, waiting to be filled. And it did, as you read in my earlier post.

What I find amazing about this story is that Ruth, who had been childless before, became pregnant and bore a son when she married Boaz. And Naomi, who had never been a grandmother before, became nurse to Ruth's baby.

The Bible says, "... godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Timothy 6:6).Ruth gained by being godly and contented. Not many Christians are contented. We tend to fret and become anxious when our glass looks like it's half empty, when instead, we should see it as half full.