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Perspective is everything. Our perspective is the lens at which we view life and most importantly God’s role in our life.
Your perspective is formed by what you know is true. As Christians, this wisdom should come from God’s Word. It should open up characteristics and truths about Jesus that unlock an intimacy with Him that we haven’t known before. But, having said that… how many times do we not take advantage of this wisdom. We don’t require ourselves to use the wisdom and create a new perspective, develop a new lens to look at like through. We don’t mirror our thoughts after Him, we mirror our thoughts after what those around us tell us. Instagram stories, entertainment hosts, friends, the list goes on.
If we harvested the wisdom that we gained from God and began to form a new perspective with it, we would begin to identify God’s goodness in our lives.
Most recently, God’s goodness has been at the forefront of my mind. What exactly is God’s Goodness? What does that even mean? In order to understand God’s goodness – you have to understand what His goal, what His mindset is. His mindset is, has, and always will be His glory. Now yes, He loves us and desires us – but He desires us to desire Him and glorify Him. Check out Isaiah 43:1-7.
vs. 7 says; “Everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed even whom I have made.” NASB
John Piper says it like this: “No matter how deep we probe into the motives of God, we will never arrive at a layer which is not love.”
God is good all the time. Too many Christians define God’s goodness by their circumstances rather then Who God actually is. Men fail us. The world fails us. Our friends and family fail us. So why do we try so desperately to define God and relate God to a relationship we have, to a worldly image of Him. I have been pondering that question because Christ is so much bigger than any box we could fit Him in or any circumstance that we could go through.
Even when we go through trauma and disappointment, God is in the middle of that and He is reigning supreme. (Psalm 115:8) He is orchestrating every step we make and holding us so tightly to His will. (Ephesians 1:11)
We should stand in awe just at the thought that God cares enough for each of us that He is directing our footsteps. He wants to be the Good Shepherd, we just have to accept and humble ourselves before His plan.
But what happens when life happens, things start to hit the fan, and life begins to crumble? Is God still good then? The answer is a firm and resounding YES!
In that moment, perspective takes control. You can decide to be mad at God and pray hard without ceasing that your circumstance would change, or you can choose to have a Heavenly perspective.
Abby, what does that even mean? It means that you can look at your negative circumstances – the people yelling at you, the decisions you made, the trauma and death that surrounds you and say… God, you created this for Your Glory. Help me identify what Your Glory looks like in this mess. Because it is a MESS.
Then God begins to dialogue with you about why He has you there. What He wants you to learn. How He wants you to respond. Who He wants you to love through the mess.
At that moment… you begin to look UP and not OUT. You begin to GLORIFY GOD and see God’s Goodness through the mess.
That is the joy found in Christianity. That is the entire point of our existence. He wants us to desire Him because He knows that when we have His mindset, when we are truly desiring Him – we are peace-loving, kind, and filled with the JOY of Heaven.
So as I sit here with my head arched over and my heart in my throat… I am so undeserving of this type of pursuit. My perspective is selfish. I rarely go through trauma with my head looking UP at God and not OUT at physical answers and people.
But I truly believe that if I begin to shift my thoughts, my actions and reactions, my entire mentality will morph into a perspective that will radically change my life.
God is so GOOD. He really truly wants us to experience His Goodness. But in order to experience Him – we must shift our perspective.
Join the conversation below, and let me know your thoughts about perspective and why it’s hard to change your perspective.
