IT’S ALL ABOUT PERSPECTIVE
On a recent trip in which I had to fly, I took a window seat, something I almost never do, but I was so glad I did this time. As we began to taxi down the runway it was dark, cloudy, and rainy. In fact, there had been storms in the area that had delayed my flight. The clouds just looked flat, dark, and solid hanging above us. Our plane lifted off the ground and before long all I could see was white outside my window. We were in the middle of the clouds and could see absolutely nothing. It was a complete white-out. Suddenly, we broke through the clouds and there were blue sky and sunshine. What caught my attention though were the clouds. From the ground, they had looked flat and solid, but from above, they billowed high as if trying to reach the heavens. They looked like they were suspended by some invisible wire, or like something from a sci-fi movie. They were magnificent!
As I watched and took pictures from the window I began to think about how my perspective from the ground is so different than what it is from a higher place. Isn’t that the way it is in life too? From where we are in our life, so many things obstruct our view. Circumstances cloud our vision, often putting us in a “white-out” where we cannot see which way is up or down. Sometimes situations, people, or objects interfere with our plans, they block our ability to see what is right for our life. With these obstructions, we often lose sight of the Light that is shining on us. When this happens, we need to lift our eyes to meet Jesus. He will then take us to a higher place where we will see things from a different perspective. From where he takes us, we will be able to see a bigger part of the picture than what we were seeing before.
I started thinking about Simon, one of Jesus’ disciples (before he was called). He had been out fishing all night and had caught nothing. Times were hard and finances were dwindling. He needed a catch. When Jesus showed up and told Simon to cast his nets on the other side of the boat, Simon thought him to be crazy. To Simon, nothing had changed. From his perspective, the sea was the same as it had been, and casting his nets on the other side would change nothing. But Simon lifted his eyes and looked at Jesus. He then cast his nets on the other side as Jesus had said to do. What happened next, was nothing short of a miracle. Simon caught so many fish in the nets that his boat began to sink. From Simon’s perspective in his life, nothing was different. Jesus had to take him to a higher place for him to see the power of God at work, the power that makes all the difference. From where you sit, are you seeing things from God’s perspective or is your vision clouded and obstructed by the dark, ominous clouds of life? God tells us in Isaiah 55: 8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Lift your eyes to Jesus and let him take you to a higher place where you will get a much better and clearer perspective. What you will find in that new perspective will be magnificent!
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That story of Simon is illustrated so well in The Chosen! Great blog
Thank you Adam!