We are more than halfway through January but I still want to wish all my readers a Happy and Blessed New Year!

A random fact about myself is that I used to wear glasses when I was younger (probably at the start of last decade 😜) however after a few years I was told I didn’t need them anymore as my eyesight had been corrected. I was so happy because I hated my appearance with glasses. 🤓

I was diagnosed as being long-sighted. For those who aren’t familiar with that term, a long-sighted person can see objects at a distance but closer objects are usually out of focus. The opposite is short-sightedness; a condition where distant objects appear blurred while nearby objects are clear. These conditions of the eyes amongst several others can be corrected with glasses, contact lenses and even laser eye surgery. Without adequate correction, a person will continue to have blurred vision.

So what happens when Specsavers is not enough? – you are stumbling around, confused, unaware of what is happening and what is to come. May I propose to you the idea that some of us Christians are suffering from spiritual short-sightedness. Our vision does not have the clarity that is needed to successfully navigate through life’s circumstances. So where do we go from here? Hold that thought.

I’ve recently gotten into one of my favourite hobbies again: reading. In the past 3 months, I’ve read 6 novels; 5 of which were written with multiple narratives. This a writing style in which I’ve grown to love. In the past when I’ve read a book with a single narrator, I could not help but feel as though I was not getting the whole truth. With a single narrator, there are unknown aspects of the story that do not come into the light until later so for the majority of the time you are kept in the dark. The truth of a story is made up of a variety of viewpoints. The more perspectives you have the closer you are to having a better overall understanding of what is happening. Come to think of it the person who probably has the greatest advantage is the author because he or she has a bird’s eye view of the sequence of events from the start to end. Similarly to the novels, our lives also have an author who knows the end from the beginning, He sees the bigger picture, I’m sure I don’t have to spell that out to you.

The new lens I want to encourage you to intentionally use is God’s. This omniscient being says:

For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways,

And My thoughts than your thoughts

Isaiah 55:8-9

This text clearly states that our thoughts are not compatible with God’s thoughts. It would be foolish to assume that we know God’s thinking and planning. How can we know more than our creator? As humans, we try to fit God into our mould of thinking but this is the wrong way to approach life, we are to conform to His perspective. This distance between God’s thoughts/ways and our thoughts/ways is constant; God will always remain God and us mere humans. Isaiah 55 reiterates the fact that God sees things from a higher perspective, like an author who has the overall picture of a book, like a bird soaring high in the skies. This higher altitude allows things that would not be otherwise seen whilst on the ground to be seen clearly: So why not trust His perspective?

An unbeliever judges events and things by worldly standards, by his or her senses; this lens is defective as it is doesn’t reflect God’s perspective and it often leads to frustration, discontentment and disappointment. A person who wants to view life from a perfect perspective needs to consider God’s views and values in everything.

A person who wants to view life from a perfect perspective needs to consider God’s views and values in everything.

Tweet

I’m currently reading ‘The Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren and there’s a chapter solely dedicated to ‘Seeing life from God’s view’. Pastor Rick says ‘The way you see your life shapes your life. How you define life determines your destiny” (p.41). I will share more from this book in a future post but a key point that was made is that ‘life on earth is a temporary assignment therefore this should alter our values’. The deciding factors for the decisions we make should be based on eternal values and not temporal ones. Earth is not our final home, we are just passing through so we will experience things that do not make sense to us and sometimes only in hindsight will certain scenarios in our lives make sense.

Life is a test. This metaphor for life can be seen in various biblical stories. God tests people’s character, faith, obedience, love, integrity and loyalty. In the bible, we have examples of those who failed God’s tests (Adam and Eve in Eden, David) and those who passed God’s tests (Joseph, Ruth, Esther and Daniel). One thing we know about God is that He is interested in our character and not our earthly achievements or possessions thus He uses tests to develop and reveal our true character. The specific tests God may put you through this year can’t be listed however we can predict how God may test us through what has already happened in the bible; major changes, delayed promises, impossible problems, unanswered prayers, undeserved criticism and even senseless tragedies. Personally, in hindsight, I notice ways in which God has tested my character; during those periods I was frustrated, angry and confused but when I decided to switch my basic inadequate ‘human lenses’ to God’s perfect perspective, I understand that God is developing and testing my character. Therefore this year when you are going through a trial or you’re faced with confusion seek answers from God: What do you want me to learn?. The best way to seek these answers is to communicate with Him and engage with His Word. When you know that life is a test you realise that nothing is insignificant in your life, you just have to use the correct lens to comprehend what is occurring.

When you know that life is a test you realise that nothing is insignificant in your life, you just have to use the correct lens to comprehend what is occurring.

Tweet

To conclude I want to share the lyrics of a song I came across last year called ‘Perception’ by a group called Livre’:

one may see a storm

another might just see rain

it’s all a matter of ones perception

Perception by Livre’

I’m sure I don’t have to stress the importance of positive thinking once again but knowing that our thoughts are often flawed and unreliable should prompt us to observe how this affects our perception. Being aware of God’s perspective is vital in navigating the world around us. Without trying to adapt to a glimpse of God’s perspective there is a high likelihood that we wander with negative emotions and dissatisfaction associated with a lack of understanding our experiences.

Finally, remember that “every good and perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” James 1:17. This ultimate goodness of any gift must be measured in light of eternity, so some things that appear good now may lead to our destruction – I pray that we put on an eternal God-given lens/perspective on all that we encounter: Life is a test & Life on earth is temporary.

Stay blessed,

Dara xx

P.S – Please share and bless your friends & family.