Perspective

Perspective is a funny thing.  From Hitler’s perspective, he was doing exactly what he was supposed to do for a “pure race” that he believed was absolutely necessary.  The rest of the world’s perspective saw him as the highest form of evil.  Both perspectives were/are convicted they are right.  Obviously, I cannot ever share Hilter’s perspective and I’m not sure I know anyone who can.

What fascinates me is the conviction people have for their perspective.  It is usually stems from a personal experience, so that conviction makes sense.  However, we live in a world where tolerance is idolized and yet, when it comes to perspective, there is little tolerance. 

There are many times where I am narrow-sighted in my perspective.  Life is hard.  Trials and struggles can be consuming.  It can be easy to have a limited view from being marred down.  I admit that I struggle to see God when I’m in the trenches.  Make no mistake, we are in the trenches. 

I know I’ve mentioned it recently that we are in a spiritual battle.  N and I are in the trench together, on the front line, waging war against the world.  We are fighting for our children’s hearts, their morality and their mind.  I don’t use the term war as an analogy.  We are fighting on many fronts for them and it feels like battle.

If that wasn’t enough, while in the trenches with that topic, we were hit with another missile, from a different front:  Satan has also waged war on marriage.  Not our marriage, but one very close to us.  He’s using division as his assault.  Not only are we fighting for our children from the world, but we now have this new attack that has already caused division among our people.

Yesterday, if I had written this, you would’ve seen my perspective as wholly worn down, overwhelmed and defeated.  Being in a war, only to learn that you have to spread out your resources and fight with reduced energy, while wholly overwhelmed with current stressors…let’s just say I wanted to throw down my fight and give up.  I couldn’t see how God was working.

Never in my life have I been so weak, so tired and in such a desperate need of God.

All the energy I had was directed to crying out to Him with the demand of “SHOW ME A GLIMPSE OF YOU!  I NEED YOUR STRENGTH IF I’M TO CONTINUE THIS FIGHT!”

Yes, I used shouty capitals with God.  My perspective was limited to what I could see and what I could see didn’t include Him.  I needed Him to direct me, to motivate me. 

Do you want to know what God did?

He didn’t fix things.  He didn’t get rid of this war.  He didn’t bring in a replacement for me. 

He gave me a mustard seed of His perspective. 

He showed me, in a small way what He’s doing.  I know God, He can move in mighty ways.  That’s not His plan for our war.  He increased our battle.  Yet, in the ugliness of this, He took a moment to show us His light. 

That mustard seed of His light was so bright it stopped me in my tracks. 

I saw, from His perspective, that this battle is much bigger than I realized.  He’s not just going to use me and N, he’s using other people, some I know and some I don’t. 

This war we’re engaged in isn’t just about winning my children for Him, it goes far beyond that.  My perspective was limited.

Isaiah 55:8 – “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord, “and my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”

His perspective is limitless.