Perspective in an interesting thing. We recently had bad weather in Alabama. It was predicted to be really bad. We've had our fair share of devastating tornadoes, so of course people get a bit scared. Well, good news, it didn't get as bad as they had predicted. And wouldn't you know it? People got mad that the weather didn't get bad. Yes. Reread that. People got mad that the weather didn't get bad.
Rather than rejoice in the fact that people were safe, houses weren't damaged, and lives weren't turned upside down- people got mad at the meteorologists. I get it. We too overly prepared and lost sleep, but you know what? I prayed. I asked God to protect us. I asked God to make the weather better, so as far as I'm concerned, He answered my prayer. It's all about perspective. 2020 and 2021 have been interesting years. Both years have provided countless worldwide opportunities to be in a bad mood and experience sadness. Sometimes, I think we're looking so hard for the next big thing, that we miss out on the little things that really add up to bigger things. Hear me out. God is a detailed and thoughtful God. Look at every detail He put into His creation. For instance, have you ever thought about plants? A little bitty seed turns into something that can be eaten or maybe pretty to look at. They all are a part of the process of the air we breathe. Have you ever thought about breathing? Lungs. Wow- they're useful, and out bodies make them function without us thinking about it. Pretty neat. The ocean. Woah. There's an entire world going on down there, and it's pretty cool. What a testament to God, and His thoughtfulness in His creation. That kind of stuff doesn't happen on accident. Only could a divine Creator make so many systems work in order the way He did. And in those systems, there are many blessings. This morning, the sun rose, the melatonin in my body lessened, I awoke, and I put two feet on the ground. I was breathing. I rolled over and hugged my healthy husband. I petted my ornery, but so very loved, cat, I had hair and teeth to brush. I was kept safe from bad weather. My house was in tact. I lifted my head from a comfy pillow. I walked into my kitchen where I admired this beautiful rug- like it's everything I wanted in a rug, and I found it AND paid for it with gift cards gifted me. Delighting in God is one of the greatest joys of being His child. I don't believe in luck. I don't believe in superstition. I believe in a thoughtful, intentional God. When we delight in the little things around us, we realize how big He is. I thank and praise Him that I get to be His child. I thank Him because He has forgiven me of my Sins and saved me from Hell, and I get to spend eternity in Heaven with Him, but I also praise Him because I get to walk this earth with Him. This is earth is hard, but because I know Him, and He gifted us with His Word, I know His character. In Genesis, I learned that He created this world, and when He created it, it was perfect. There was no death. There was no sickness. There was no heartache- there wasn't even thorns. But sin. Sin brought the curse of death and a whole lot of heartache with it. But God. God in His intentionality and thoughtfulness knew we would fail Him, so He, at the beginning of time had a plan to pay the wage of our sin- Jesus. Because of those truths above, I get to delight in Him, and I am so thankful. I am thankful for the way He painted the beautiful sky. I'm in awe of the beautiful flowers and plants He gifted us with to enjoy. I'm so thankful that He made my heart beat all by itself because He surely knew I wouldn't remember to tell it to. I love those little nuggets like finding the perfect chandelier of my dreams at just the right price, and those days I definitely don't leave my house on time but somehow supernaturally to make it to work before being late. There's so much in this world that points to God. There's so much in this world that distracts us, but when we set our eyes on Him, wow we can have a perspective shift. When our eyes are on the eternal, it's a lot easier to exist. (This is also why I'm quite passionate about understanding Biblical creation and apologetics. We need this so much.) Lord, please help me and the person reading this to delight in You. Help us to see the beauty and Your goodness all around us, and I pray we rejoice in that. God, it is a delight to be Your child, and I pray that people that don't know you see that in us, and I pray we enjoy that delight so much that we aren't ashamed to share that with others. God, You have made my life oh so special, and I just want everyone else to experience that. What a sad thing if we kept it from others! I pray we delight in You and are intentional about Your business. Ooh wee, I love You, Lord. “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Psalm 37:4 For a long time, I thought that verse meant if I do what God wants me to, He'll give me what I want. Now, I understand that delighting in Him results in walking closely with Him, and it isn't at all about Him giving me what I want. It's all about Him lining my heart up with His, and helping me to want what He wants for me. You see, God's perspective is eternity. He entirely knows the end result of every decision we make. Look at the Israelites. He knew them better than they knew the back of their hands. Did they walk through some tough stuff? You bet ya, but God always had a plan to redeem and restore them unto Him. How many times did God tell them to do things that didn't make sense? That were countercultural? That left them scraping their heads? Countless. How on earth could digging holes and filling them with water defeat an army? What about walking around and blowing a horn? Yeah- those don't seem like the best war tactics, but God's ways aren't ours, and thank God, because my perspective isn't always eternal, and I sure don't know how everything plays out. Also, if I was God I would be zapping people from Heaven when they get mad at meteorologists for something totally out of their control. Good news is I'm not God. God is God, and I am SO glad. Because walking with Him has given me the most joy filled and peace filled life even in the midst of heartache and chaos. His peace truly does surpass all understanding. Ok, so I think I got off track a little, but maybe someone needed to read (insert shrugging emoji). Bottom line, perspective is a funny thing. Out of perspective comes many things. Joy or a lack of joy. Empathy or a lack of empathy. Peace or a lack of peace. And the list goes on. Now, don't get me wrong. We're human. There's spiritual warfare. There will be bad days, but what I can tell you, is when God said becoming His child brought new and put the old things away- He wasn't kidding, and I'm just thankful He did that for me. If you're finding yourself unfulfilled with what you're striving for or angry at the meteorologist (sorry... it's a soapbox of mine), I ask you first, do you have a relationship with the Lord? Has there been a moment in your life that you recognized your sin and your need to be forgiven for your sin understanding that Jesus Christ died to pay that debt? He lived a perfect life, died on a cross, and rose on the third day. Did you know He did that? Did you know He did that for You? Have you confessed your belief with Your mouth and believed it in Your heart? If that is something you've personally done, my next question is, are you delighting in Him?
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