PERSPECTIVE by Maria Hartman

The blind boy was unable to see the royal blue ocean. Instead, he heard the fierce roar of the waves as they crashed onto the shore. His family however, marveled at the mighty sight before them.

An elderly man sat alone on his porch early one morning, wondering why the song of the birds never reached his ears anymore. Sadly, he couldn’t remember the last time he heard that sweet melody.

A woman wept quietly in her hospital bed as she realized that the stroke that brought her to this place had robbed her of all feeling. Oh her heart still felt plenty, but her brain was no longer able to register something as foundational as a simple touch.

Perspective. We all have it, and yet due to different life experiences, none is exactly alike. The boy couldn’t see the sparkling ocean nor could he comprehend the vastness that was before his family’s eyes. Did the inability of his eyes to register the picture change the fact that there was an ocean? The elderly man could no longer hear the song the birds had sung to him since he was a child. Did that mean the birds had ceased their daily song? The woman’s brain no longer sent the correct signals to her skin, telling her that someone held her hand. Did that mean that the nurse standing by her bedside wasn’t there?

Just as the above examples point out the obvious, creation points to it as well. On a dark and rainy night, is the sun shining? YES! The sun never ceases to shine. We may not be able to see it or feel it, but nevertheless, it is shining with a radiance that has no equal. Oh if we could only see that the same things apply to the truth about God. When things are going wrong, God is still in full control. When we think we are so bad that forgiveness is impossible, we are choosing to believe a lie above infallible truth. And when we simply prefer to just remain ignorant about why we are here, the truth nevertheless is crystal clear to the one who is drawn to its Source.

By the tender mercy of God, our perspective can be altered by the Spirit, instead of dominated by our senses or reasoning. But we must purpose in our minds to place the Truth of the Word into our minds and hearts daily. Negating the lies of what we feel and what the world says, we can be led by the Spirit to be more than conquerors. Love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control can be our driving force. He can, and we can through Him.

There is so much power and strength in Jesus Christ; so much potential for incredible change. Our weaknesses and stubbornness have never hindered His plans, nor will they ever. Sadly, it is His own who often hold onto hurts and bitterness and limit the power from flowing onto others. It is His own who must have the right view of who He is and of what is real, and be willing to live it outside the church. Among all the faulty perspectives we are surrounded by, the light of Jesus Christ should glow brighter and stronger than ever. But why doesn’t it?

Friends, no matter what has happened to us in the past, our perspective today can be and needs to be Christ like. Lets soak up His glory with our eyes and see people the way He sees them. Lets listen carefully to and for His voice and obey what He calls us to do immediately, with a heart that understands the enormous privilege bestowed upon us. Lets respond as never before to the Spirit who lives within, and reach past what is comfortable all the way to the one who needs Him so desperately. This is the Christian’s perspective; this is the believer’s high calling. See, hear, feel, and live what circumstances or experiences won’t be able to quench.

For Today: The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Will you get up tomorrow morning, go out wherever you normally go, and look into the eyes of one of the hopeless faces God sends to you? Will you tell them that this isn’t all there is? Will you share that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, and that He is still seeking them? Will you allow your perspective to be so radically different from those around you, that all will be left wondering how you can live, think, and serve as you do? You never know, you may do more than just reach those who don’t know the Savior. You may bring back to the fold those who have wandered away for lack of vision of who Christ really is.

I want that so much. Do you?