Perspective

No way…I can’t do that.

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When my daughter was a toddler she was extremely scared of the vacuum cleaner. She was so scared that if we didn’t want her wandering out of the room, we could place the vacuum in the middle of the hallway. She wouldn’t even go to that side of the room. We used it like a baby gate for almost 6 months. I remember thinking that it was really cute that she was afraid of something that most adults don’t even think about as something to be feared. I say most adults because there is a small population of people with Zuigerphobia, or the fear of vacuum cleaners. While most of us think that the fear of a vacuum cleaner is ridiculous, it is a real concern for some small kids, pets and adults. We all have something that causes us fear.

In my daughter’s case, we exploited a fear that she had for her own safety (as well as some laziness on my part). We were able to keep her contained to the room that we were in without having to do the toddler chase every few minutes. However, if Angela or I were vacuuming and we left it close to something that she wanted, it became an obstacle that hindered her progress. Myself, I don’t like snakes or lightning. I have had more than my share of very close calls with both. So it may not be an irrational fear but it is still a fear. It is a fear that sometimes keeps me from doing things that I need or want to do. And yes, I know there are probably a few more injuries and fatalities from snakes and lightning. So my fear probably works in my favor for my safety.

I have a few more fears that do impede my growth and success. There are times that I know what I need to do, God has laid something on my heart and have to get it done now. The problem is that I don’t like to ask for help. Ok I really, really dislike asking for help. My fear is that people will see me as weak and incapable. My pride is keeping me from things even as I write this. I really didn’t want to tell you that I have any fear, so this is actually part of my growth. I get up some mornings and know for a fact, 100% that I know what and how I am supposed to do something. As I get ready for my day, the “voices” in my ear are telling me “you’re an idiot, you can’t do that”, “you aren’t capable of that” and my favorite one of all “that is way, way beyond what you could ever think of being successful at”.

The good news is that I don’t have to fear anything! Jesus is with me always. God loves us and wants us to live with a spirit of power and love, not of fear. (1 Timothy 1:7) God tells us time and time again in His Word that we are not supposed to live in fear. The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1.  As a kid you know that your father is able to defend and protect you from anyone or anything. That may not have been the case, but when God has your back you have nothing to worry about! Yes I still have fear, and I believe that we will have fears as long as we are here on this earth. The good news is as my faith in Him grows, my fears lessen and I know God loves me and wants the very best for me!

1 John 4:18

If I asked you who you are

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If I asked you who you are, how would you answer? Are you defined by your profession? Are you single or married? Are you a wife, husband, mother or father? Are you defined by your hobby or activities? Are you a sports fanatic, a hunter, a cook, a writer or a gardener? Are you short or tall? Blonde or brunette? Christian, Muslim or atheist? The list goes on and on. The answer can be some, all or none of these things, but that is not who you are. Too often we are defined and identified by things in our life that are only a small part of who we are. In our highly “technologically” connected society, we are sometimes known more for what we are against than who we are. Our political affiliations, our heritage, our afflictions, our issues and our opinions are all more visible to others than the person that we are. We wear these like a badge, ready to debate and hate when the opportunity arises. We should take a stand on things that affect us and we can control, but we cannot let them define who we are.

I have to love everyone and accept the fact that some people are going to disagree with me on almost everything. I also have to remember that I can still love them even if we disagree. Social media and the news media have polarized us into thinking that everything needs to be a fight. I have fought enough over stupid things in my life and I am over that. I still may disagree and offer an opposing viewpoint because honest discussion and debate are still valuable tools for growth. I can’t place my identity in any of these things. If they identify me then I lose who I am! My identity comes from one place, that I am a child of God. Jesus never said we would have it easy. In fact he said we would be persecuted and face many trials. God loves us too much to leave us as we are. He will continue to grow us into who we need to be, but my true identity was established long ago on a cross.

1 John 3:1-3

Love them??

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I can think back over my life and make a list of 3 or 4 people that I never would like to see again. I am at the point in my life where I no longer wish for them to burst into flames. I just would not like to be reminded of the situations that caused these feelings. I forgave them years ago and I wish them well. However, do I love them? Wait a minute, love them, do I have to? Forgiving was fairly easy over time. Forgetting is more difficult. Loving them would take more grace than I alone have. Most of these people live 400 or more miles away from me, so I don’t have to deal with them on a regular basis. What about people that we deal with daily? Maybe there is someone at work that we just don’t see eye to eye with. We all have a neighbor that we could live without. There is a grumpy, rude, unpleasant individual that works at store where I buy lunch. I don’t really have anything to forgive these types for but, do I love these people?

In Matthew 5:43-44 Jesus says to love them and pray for them! Ok, now I have to love them and pray for them? Not just the people we don’t want to be around, but our enemies also. Just for the record Jesus doesn’t mean that we pray for their brakes to fail or anything like that. But wait….there is more. Proverbs 25: 21-22 says that I have to feed and give my enemies water. Now I have to feed him and give them water also? We not only have to do this but we have to do this with a pure heart. We have to want to do it. Wait for it….there is more! Leviticus 19:18 says some stuff about not seeking revenge or holding a grudge. OK, so we have to forgive them, love them, pray for them, feed them, give them water and do this without holding a grudge???? And we have to do this because we want to not because we have to????

No problem (sarcasm)! I said earlier that loving them would take more grace than I had alone. I need to pray for myself also. Pray that my own pride, resentment, selfish issues be moved out of the way or better yet taken away. I will never do this perfectly. I’m so thankful that God forgives me, loves me, talks with me, feeds me, gives me water, doesn’t seek revenge, doesn’t hold a grudge and does it all because he wants to!

John 15:12

Why didn’t I see that before?

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I’ve been attending church since I was born. My grandmother made sure that the 6 grand-kids were in church…..even if she had to take us herself! I was raised Southern Baptist. Like any good Southern Baptist I was in Sunday school very regularly. I have heard all of the standard, more popular Bible stories at least 1 time a year for the first 13 years of my life. You know the “well known” Old Testament stuff like Adam and Eve, Noah, David and Goliath and Moses leading his people out of Egypt. I know the stories very well. Those are just stories that are historical or metaphorical. At least I thought that is all they are…….

A few years ago Angela was teaching the 3 and 4 year olds on Sundays at church. On Saturday nights she would go over the lesson to prepare for the next day. She would read it out loud and I would usually listen because she is so animated, that she makes it fun. Not to mention she is really cute also.  Anyway as she would read these stories, I would almost always see some kind of symbolism or alternate reason for the story. Something that I hadn’t seen before was revealed regularly!  I began to see how things would point to our Savior or the need for Him. I had been avoiding some of these stories or glancing through them because I knew them already. Was I having these revelations because I was more “educated” scripturally? Was I more mature in my relationship with Christ so I could see things that I wasn’t ready to see before? Was it because the Bible is God’s living word, and that is how God talks to me? Or was it because I was finally paying attention? The answer is yes! Yes, to all of those questions.

There are some things that a 9-year-old just isn’t ready to understand. The Bible is full of things that this 41-year-old isn’t ready to understand! My desire to have communication with God has caused me to pay more attention to His Word! It has been a blessing to reread some of these stories. The Bible is God’s inerrant, living word. As we mature and go through different seasons in our life, He will speak into our lives through His Word. Do yourself a favor, go back and reread the story of Adam and Eve (Genesis 2 & 3). Before you do, go someplace quiet, ask God to reveal more to you, more than you have already seen, as much as you are ready to see. Do this whenever you read His Word. I promise that you will see something that you have never seen before.

2 Timothy 3:16

per·spec·tive

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  \pər-ˈspek-tiv\   noun

   a :  the interrelation in which a subject or its parts are mentally viewed <places the issues in proper perspective>; also :  point of view

   b :  the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance <trying to maintain my perspective

Some of the things that I avoided when I was younger have turned out to be things that I celebrate and cherish now. One of those is diversity in people. I love being around people of different ages, backgrounds, races, upbringings, vocations, politics, nationalities and even religions.

All of us view life through different lenses. Our differences start with the fact that we are all unique, one of a kind, God created individuals. So this means not one of us sees anything through our “life lens” exactly the same way. No two lenses are the same from the beginning. Then we add a different layer or option to the lens for each uncontrollable variable in life; social, economic, environmental, geographic, genetic….etc. Life experience, either positive or negative, can polish or scratch our lens. We also have to include our choices in the mix. Some people want to see the world brightly so they may opt for the yellow tint, others choose a grey tint and yes I am sure a few will ask for an abstract pattern lens.

How can we expect anyone to view anything the same as we do? If we constantly allow our emotions to cause a division, then we will never be able to value perspectives different from ours. This is not to say that every perspective is correct. There is value in discussion and disagreement! We can have convictions, opinions and can even be completely correct on a subject but we also need to be open minded enough to hear another perspective. Growth happens through this type of interaction. I can still love and value people even when we don’t agree. Our recent culture tends prevent relationships from flourishing when perspective is misaligned.

Do yourself a favor and take the time to view the world through as many different lenses as possible. You don’t have to compromise your values and convictions, but it will give insight into how others view the world. Remember that there is a story behind every “lens”, stories of great joy, great struggle, heartbreak, triumph, ignorance and wisdom.

Revelation 7:9-17