One of our son's, Jeremiah, posted this to his own blog today, and I thought is was so good, I had to re-post it here. Enjoy and be blessed! -Perry
As I write this, I am sitting in a Starbucks, working on a white chocolate mocha, and well, this. It is a busy morning here, as there is a steady line of people ordering their coffee. I really enjoy observing people, and how they interact in different situations. That may sound creepy, but please, let me explain.
In order to capture the full picture of how these people work, let’s look at the ordering process. Right now, there is a man that looks casual, probably rested, ordering his grande’ drink and calmly putting his milk in. He is very patient and slow to speak. I am going to guess that he lives modestly and goes to a job that he loves. He is pretty satisfied with life right now. Next, we see a man that is a bit different. He is probably in his mid to late 40’s, has gray hair, and is dressed very nicely. He has a business suit on. He looks very successful. My estimation is that he leads people. This man has a very specific, and focused vision, and has that on his mind. He is in a hurry, but his mind seems to be moving faster than his body. By the time he orders and pays, in his mind he is in his car. He is ready to attack the day. I hear the ladies sitting behind me. They may not know that I hear them, but, yes, in my nosy ears, I hear them. What I hear is life, Normal life. They are talking about kids, soccer, teenagers, husbands, money, and of course, since they are females, all of their inner thoughts. I see a 20 something dreaming of changing the world as they work through college, and of course your occasional hipster.
It’s interesting, if I wanted to customize a human being, I think I would want to add some things from each of these people. I would want to have the peace of the first person, and the drive and focus of the second guy. I would add the community, and authenticity of the ladies behind me, and the boundless, dreamers mindset of the 20 something college student. I am still contemplating on the hipster.
Now, I turn to myself. As I look around, I see a pretty girl. I choose not to start a conversation with her as a result of my fear of being rejected, or of being awkward. I want to be focused, but I sometimes find myself distracted. I want to change the world, but belief and desire are two different things. I would be authentic, but I fear of being judged. I wish I had peace, but I am so caught up in the things I just mentioned that my mind is constantly in conflict.
But aren’t we all like that in ways? Aren’t we all in some ways enabling a boxing match between what we desire for ourselves, vs. our actual beliefs about who we are? Don’t we all tend to look at things from a perspective that is negative about who we are, where we are, and the situation we are in? Notice something, I picked out everything that was bad about me, and my situation, and highlighted it. This was intentional. If we look at each of those people mentioned, they each had qualities that we would all probably like. But they also have their share of weaknesses and issues that we don’t see. They each have a wrestling match. So, what is winning? How do you view yourself? Do you desire to be a certain way but don’t believe you can get there?
What is the common denominator in all of this? I am writing this, and thinking through this from my point of view. I see those people in the coffee shop from what I see in them. I look at myself, and see what I choose to see. It’s all from my own perspective. This is where the problem is. It is all from my limited view. What if I flipped the script, and looked at what God sees? When I do that, I see something totally different. I see a God who is madly in love with me, knows my problems, and knows what is best for me. I see a God who values me (Ephesians 2:10), and has a plan for my life (Proverbs 16:9).
Do you have a favorite trilogy of books? The author of those books has a plan. He or she knows the end of the story before it is put into effect, because the author created the plot. God knows your story. He knows the end. It is written. You can only see what has been made available for you to see. So why, when we serve such a powerful, loving, and involved God, do we choose to rely on our limited, and generally flawed view of ourselves, and our circumstances. What if we chose to trust in God, knowing that He is good, and loves you like crazy?
Today, we all have a choice. Whose eyes will we look through? God’s eyes, or our own? Only One has perfect vision, and only one sees the whole picture. When you choose to see through God’s eyes, instead of your own, that is when the conflict in your soul will turn to peace. It is a complete change of mindset, but it will bring true peace. It takes knowing Christ intimately, and seeking Him through Prayer, His word, and just resting in His presence.
Choose to let God’s perspective take the lead in your life. Choose to completely submit to, and trust in His promises, and His truth.
So today, how will you let God’s perspective overrule yours? Will you choose to believe what God says about you, instead of your messed up view? Will you trust that He has a plan that is much better than yours? When you are living out of God’s perspective instead of your own, you will be filled with true peace.
-Jeremiah Storkson
