I was listening to a news report on a couple who had been married 72 years. The most interesting part of their story was a couple of days after they married the husband left for war service and was gone for 4½ years.
When you consider that they were married for 72 years, four and a half years apart is not a long time but I imagine at the time it must have seemed like forever. They both would have wondered if they would ever see each other again. Would they be faithful to the vows they made? Would they ever share a domestic life together?
Eventually the husband came home from war and they set up house together. Looking back now those four years must be a blur, a mere 5% of their married life, a speck in the bigger scheme.
What a difference perspective can make!
Perspective can make a big difference to our lives too. When we consider the minor frustrations and annoyances we face we need to ask is this worth getting upset about? Will it matter in 10 years time? Am I gracious enough to let go of small inconveniences?