It’s not a new saying, but “Is Your Glass Half Full or Half Empty” is a philosophy of life. We all know people who always see opportunity and others who miss opportunity.  Some are positive and some are negative.  Some individuals have had a very difficult life and are optimistic, while people who have no real reason to complain do complain.

Next time you’re sitting at a railroad crossing (and if you can see what the shipment is – cars, trucks, steel coils, pipe, lumber etc.) – you’ll see railcars loaded with finished products and empty railcars. There are two processes involved here: “free” cars, meaning the empty car can be reloaded anywhere along the line and kept in circulation to make money for the railroad and car owner.  The other process is call “assigned service”, meaning the empty railcar is returned to the origination point for reloading to ensure that company has a predictable number of cars to service their needs.

Do railroad managers wring their hands about handling freight trains (or least many of the cars in the train) that are empty? No, because part of the railroad industry has always been about getting empty cars back where they need to be.

In a very real sense every railroad, every day, has their glass half full and half empty! “Half” full or empty is their reality, and, I believe, ours as well!

Maturity and balance in life is seeing the glass of water realistically and managing effectively from there – whether it’s half full or half empty!

Blessings!

Pastor Mark