Perspective is everything..

I’ve been thinking a lot this week about perspective, the perspective we have on life. Have you noticed how ‘everything’ can change in a microsecond - one moment all is sunshine & smiles, then a thought, a call, a text, a tax bill, a pain, a possibility, and suddenly it’s gloom, doom, worry, racing pulse and sweaty palms. It’s incredible how quickly our outlook on life can change, and here’s the tragedy, 90% of the time, our fears are totally unfounded; we’ve just got way ahead of ourselves, explored all sorts of possibly nasty scenarios. Result? We’ve just been robbed.

This last year I have really learned the importance of ‘taking my thoughts captive to Christ’, that is, not allowing stray thoughts or fears - those ‘what if’s’ - to run wild in my thinking, because they can literally rob & wreck you. Jesus Christ is Lord of my life, because I am a Christian, and so my day and destiny is in his hands and therefore I am totally secure - whatever.

But what about the other 10% of the time, when there is real substance to our fears, when our health, wealth or wellbeing really is under threat? Well that’s when our perspective really does matter. If we have ‘ground level’ perspective, and by that I mean short-sighted, nose-to-the-tree perspective, then our situation will very soon appear to be hopeless and therefore miserable. But again, as Christians, we need to remind ourselves that there is a far bigger (higher level) story that our lives are a part of, and quickly step back from the brink of short-sighted collisions with challenges & obstacles at ground level. The Bible says that we are overcomers! This great word is a favourite of the apostle John. Look at these verses from 1John 4&5.
Little children, you are from God and have overcome... for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world...... everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Do you get the picture? Christians (that is, those who have been born again, have put their trust in Jesus Christ and have a new life and destiny in Him) can ‘come over’ even the very real challenges and obstacles that come our way, because we are now a part of the greatest story in the universe - the story of God’s redeeming love and grace - and as such, we need fear nothing!

Perspective is everything!

Goff