Perspective

If you were to ask my neighbours what the big deal is, why I keep staring so intently at their house, day after day, week after week, I am sure they would be dumbfounded to know that I do so because of all of the marvelous sunsets I am witnessing just beyond their vantage point.  I mean, after all, we share the same sky, right?  We are within almost shouting distance of one another.  Why, should they look up at the same sky I am enthralled with, they’d probably think I had lost what marbles I had left.  “What’s the big deal” they might ask one another.  “I don’t see anything but darkness setting in.”  They’d probably shake their heads, laugh at their crazy neighbour, and go back inside, perhaps just every so often going to their back window to check and see if maybe, just maybe ol’ Stef was on to something after all.

But they wouldn’t see it.  

However, should you ask my neighbour up on the hill, she might have a completely different reaction.  “See it?” she’d exclaim.  “Why you, Stefanie, are only getting a glimpse of what rapturous beauty I am beholding!  If so, you’d be at my house every night, waiting for the opportunity to see what God paints next!”

Perspective.  From one angle, things look this way.  From another’s point of view the facts may not be as evident.  And from still another’s one would realize, as my friend Susan once said, there’s three sides to every story:  yours, mine, and the truth.

As things are presented to you today, friends, I encourage you to check out the other sides of the “details” given and see if perhaps you should examine them from another angle before making your final conclusion.  Things are not always what they seem and sometimes we just have to move a little to gain a more vivid accounting of what has been put before us so that we can see if a fair accounting is taking place or if we are only seeing through the glass dimly.

Let’s pray!

Well, once again Father, this blog did not go where I thought it was going to!  Nonetheless, as my readers examine it, I pray that this example of perspective, of examining our motives and the motives of others will encourage us to think for ourselves instead of just accepting things at face value.  Too often we are too lazy to seek out the truth, relying instead on others’ thoughts and “knowledge” about situations to find that there just may be another point of view out there that is more trustworthy, more eye-opening, and better able to point us to You, the real Truth.

Help us, I ask, to seek You today in all that we do, say, and offer to others.  In the radiant name of Christ Jesus I pray, amen.  Oh, and Lord?  Thanks for the beautiful sunsets!  I appreciate them!

Just A Glimpse

I am so blessed.  There is so much beauty around me and I often am overwhelmed at the sights presented to me.  

I’m also greedy.  I want more.  So much so that I asked Steve to build me a tower so that I could better see the sunsets that my sweet Lord provides for me.  You see, I get a glimpse of them as the sun makes its way down the horizon but...but there’s a house in my way.  There’s not a vantage point from my deck, my kitchen window, or even in my ‘hood when I take a walk to try to consume more of the delights the Lord provides for me through His creation.  I’m only allowed a taste of this and it whets my appetite for what is not seen.  “If I had a tower,” I tell my love, “then I could have a much better view.  I could see over the houses and beyond the trees.  I could take more pictures and…”  And don’t let me forget how I could also see the marvelous sunrises from the east!

But then reality sets in.  Yeah.  Like I’m really going to climb the stairs that would lead up to this turret.  Me?  Ha!  If the dictionary had a picture that defined “lazy” the one featured would be of me.  And yet...yet some things are worth a little more effort, don’t you think?  If I had a tower, with a lift attached to it (an elevator would be swell!), just think how many more sunsets I could witness.  It’s a good argument.  Not a practical one, but if you lived in my ‘hood and saw the weekly joys the Lord provides for me, you’d better understand.  And then again, if you saw my husband’s monthly paycheck, you’d also understand how this is just not a feasible project to undertake.

Moses must’ve felt some of my pain as he too was a witness to the great and glorious splendors of God.  He, however, was on a higher plain (pardon the pun) than I am and Moses wanted to see the most beautiful sight of all:  God Himself.  Now God is a pretty smart fella and He knew Moses could not take this and live.  His--is there even a word for it?--magnificentness(?) could not be beheld by a mortal man but God, Who also is quite gracious, did allow Moses to see a little something of Himself.  Just a taste.  Just a brief view to grant his request, in part, but also to leave him hungering for more.

Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will

proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I

will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have

compassion.”  But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall

see Me, and live.”  And the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me, and you

shall stand on the rock.  So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I

will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while

I pass by.  Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back;

but My face shall not be seen.”  Exodus 33:19-23

Now, I’m no Moses but this story parallels my own desire.  If Moses was only allowed a smidgen of God’s glory, how dare I whine about not getting my fair share?  Who am I to think I should get more than what is already provided for me?  

Seriously, Stef?  How many times do you neglect watching the sun set because you are too busy to take a moment to appreciate this wonder?  So many other distractions vie for your attention.  Do you really think if you had a tower that you’d be up there nearly every night and first thing each morning to witness such splendor as is provided for you?  At least Moses was diligent in his mission in life.  You can’t even be bothered each day to spend a few precious moments of your time basking in the beauty that is surrounding you--and not just in the heavens.

Ouch!

Sigh.  I love it (yes, that is sarcasm) when I write to myself.  

Okay, Lord, I get it.  I can only handle so much because of my inability to appreciate all that is already provided for me.  And it’s certainly not that You are stingy, oh no!  You consistently provide delights for my eyes to take in, for my ears to listen to, for my tongue to taste, my skin to feel, and ahh, the aromas You tantalize my nose with!  The fragrance of You is everywhere, Good Lord, and I am blessed.  

Thank You, Father.  Thank You!  I should not ask for more so please help me to...not be satisfied but to be grateful for what I have and anticipate with greater longing the beauty that is not made for these human eyes.  I can’t wait!  I cannot wait to see You most of all and what a day that will be, Lord God, when a beauty like no other is presented to me.  My face may not be as bright as Moses’ was after he saw his portion but may my heart and eyes shine with the love I have for You until that day is my earnest prayer.  Asked in the name of Jesus, with much gratitude, Lord, I repeat the cry of “Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly!”  Amen.