'Perspective That Brings Peace' by Jeremiah Storkson

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

WHY?!

I recently heard someone say that, when we have trouble in our lives, it's because we aren't walking right with God.

Now, while this may SOMETIMES be true, it just as often is not; and we in the Church need to understand, proclaim and protect this distinction, without equivocation or apology; we need to exercise a true compassion, lovingly share in their burden (1 Cor 12:26) and quit repeating the sin of Job's "friends" by using other people's suffering as an excuse for judging their faith and walk.

I am reminded of John 9:1-3, As he [Jesus] went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”  “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life."

This gets me thinking about some things, one of which is the "WHY?!" we all experience when, as believers, we (or someone we love) suffer some manner of harm, hurt, loss or tragedy. We want to know, sometimes even demanding from God, "WHY?!" He would allow such things when we, as faulty as we are, try so hard to be faithful and live right?

While we may not receive the answer we so desperately seek (at least in this lifetime), I have observed over the years, a recurring theme, that illustrates the very real and practical truth of what Jesus told his disciples.

I'll explain by way of example.

Back in the eighties, someone very close to me was raped. She wrestled and agonized with the "WHY?!" for years. One day, when she was crying out "WHY?!", someone who loves her told her that she was allowed to experience this awful, horrible violation, so that she would be able to minister to others who have experienced similar pain, in a way that only someone who has known that pain ever could. She listened, but was only nominally comforted by this.

Some months later, after counseling with her pastor, she was blessed with the miraculous ability to truly forgive her attackers and from there, she began to grow rapidly in her faith, with a heart more peaceful than she could have imagined.

A couple years later, she was attending a fund-raising event for a local crisis pregnancy center, when she was struck powerfully with the calling that she belonged in that ministry. She began first as a volunteer peer-counselor, where she was able to openly share about her experience, comforting hurting women and girls; sharing the Word of our Lord freely and experiencing the joy of having some of them come back months later, bringing their new babies to share with her!

The healing she experienced in this ministry was beyond words and surpassed in significance only by the lives changed through it.

After some time, she was asked to take the lead in developing, coordinating and presenting a new Abstinence Education program for the center, to take into the local schools, churches and community youth programs.  She was NEVER a person that could speak in so much as a room full of friends without getting nervous, but God empowered and nurtured her abilities to become an effective and passionate speaker, presenting her testimony to groups both large (hundreds) and small.

(On a side note: she learned through her counseling that one of the first places we NEED abstinence education is in our churches. An alarming number of the teenagers that came to the center were from active Christian homes and were active in their church's youth programs. Some were even pastor's kids. But, many of the churches blindly, pridefully rejected the program as "unnecessary". Anyway...back to the story.)

Word of her powerful, presentation spread rapidly and soon she was invited to speak all over Southern California, at community (troubled) youth programs, Native American/Tribal youth programs and even some public high schools and "continuation" high schools for the violent and legally troubled students (an amazing and providential feat, in the fiercely liberal and anti-Christian public school systems of California).

Some of these places and groups were so rough that she was provided armed security during her visits!  Yet, even from the toughest, gang-infested audiences, she would often have girls (and sometimes even guys) come to her afterward and share horrific, heart-wrenching stories, tearfully exclaiming their longing to regain their "purity" and get right with God.

You see, God had built a powerful and effective ministry out of that pain; A modern-day repetition of "What man has intended for evil, God has used for good" (Genesis 50:20, PerryPhrased).

So, while God does indeed use painful, even tragic events to rattle our cage and get us back on track when we stray, it does not always mean that pain or difficulty in our lives is the result of our personal sin or faithlessness.

Sometimes, when it just doesn't make any sense, the best thing we can do is to trust Romans 8:28 more than we trust our own understanding: "And we know that in ALL THINGS God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (NIV, emphasis mine)

 

I hope and pray that this story helps and encourages someone today.

Blessings!

Perry