A father passing by his son’s bedroom was astonished to see that his bed was nicely made and everything was picked up. Then he saw an envelope, propped up prominently on the pillow that was addressed to ‘Dad.’ With the worst of premonitions, he opened the envelope with trembling hands and read the letter.

Dear Dad:

It is with great regret and sorrow that I’m writing you. I had to elope with my new girlfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with Mom and you. I have been finding real passion with Stacy and she is so nice.But I knew you would not approve of her because of all her piercings, tattoos, tight motorcycle clothes and the fact that she is much older than I am.

But it’s not only the passion…Dad she’s pregnant. Stacy said that we will be very happy. She owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. We share a dream of having many more children.

Stacy has opened my eyes to the fact that marijuana doesn’t really hurt anyone. We’ll be growing it for ourselves and trading it with the other people that live nearby for cocaine and ecstasy. In the meantime we will pray that science will find a cure for multiple diseases so Stacy can get better. She deserves it.

Don’t worry Dad. I’m 15 and I know how to take care of myself.

Someday I’m sure that we will be back to visit so that you can get to know your grandchildren.

Love, Your Son John

PS: Dad, none of the above is true. I’m over at Tommy’s house.

I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than the report card that’s in my center desk drawer.

I love you.

Call me when it’s safe to come home.

This funny little parable is all about the power of perspective. For those of us who lead, we are constantly faced with a perspective challenge and a perspective choice. Keeping the right perspective will always require a fight on our part, but the good news is that we always have a choice about how we choose to see our situation. 

What are you facing this week? Leadership challenges? Financial pressures? A drop in your business? Family struggles? Employee issues? Whatever is in front of you this week, remember that you have a choice in how you see it. You can choose gratitude over worry. You can choose faith over fear. You can choose joy over bitterness. Think about this: God woke you up this morning. He gave you another day, and the Scripture tells us that, “God’s mercies are new every morning.” 

So here is our challenge today: Focus on your perspective. See your situation through the lens of gratitude, faith, and joy. You get to determine your perspective, and what you choose will make all the difference.