It's All in Your Perspective

Luke 6:37 - Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Today I got a real treat. My first ride in a ladder truck. Now that is what I call a vehicle! Everyone on the road respects you. Even the big rigs. Turning corners is certainly an art and not something for the novice driver. Made me appreciate the many hours my husband has spent driving and instructing others in driving these trucks.

While we were out I had a whole different perspective on the road than what I have when driving my pickup truck. You really look down on the other vehicles. And the road is right there in front of you - there is no long hood distorting your vision. There are long mirrors on either side that give the driver the ability to see all of the potential risks on every side. And wow - backing that rig up - now that takes skill. Slick as a knife going through butter, Dave put that truck into reverse and backed it squarely into its stall at the firehouse. Flashing lights and all types of indicators let the driver and crew know the status about all of the various components of the system. At a glance they can tell whether each and every unit of the vehicle is operational.

As I rode along I got to thinking about how life could be like that ladder truck. Sometimes as I ride along I have this habit of looking down on other people as if I could do things better or perhaps have the best advice that could rescue them from all their problems. I judge them for what they do and put it through the sieve of my experiences. Not always a wise thing to do I am finding.

Then there is that ability to see the road right ahead of me. Yes, I am able often to see exactly what is the best course of action but out of my own foolish pride I often times will try and side step it or go off on my own course. That is when those mirrors come in pretty handy. Those friends who are there to admonish or encourage or pray for me and help me get back to the right way.

All along the road there are those flashing lights and indicators that God uses to help us see our way through this troubled life. There are warnings all through the Scripture that when we heed them we will be able to safely get that "vehicle" parked where it belongs - right in the place where God wants us to dwell.

It's all in your perspective.

Various Trials

James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

Sometimes I think that we read these verses and think "yes, that is exactly what I believe" only to find that when the trials of many kinds come we aren't considering it pure joy. At least that is what I have been experiencing of late. I believe that God expects us to take Him at His word. And if we want to grow - there have to be trials. Oh how I wish though that there were an easier way.....

I have been thinking a lot about the past 10 years of my life. In fact, I recently was reflecting on the fact that I was in Israel exactly 10 years ago. Oh how much has changed since then. Some of that change is the natural progression that comes from growing older. My kids have grown to adulthood and for the most part are out on their own. I have a few more gray hairs (although the color from the bottle hides them) and the midlife facts of gravity are having their affect. But, some of the change that I am dealing with are the direct results of sinful choices that I made during this past decade of life.

A season of running and hiding from the God I love resulted in destruction that took a wide swath through my family. Refusal to turn from sin brought about a lot of the pain that we are all still experiencing to this day. And yet in all of it - GOD was still there. He never left me and He never gave up on me.

His grace - His marvelous grace brought about restoration that comes from heartfelt repentance. The pain that sin produces still impacts me because that is the consequence of my choice but I can rejoice in the grace that brought me back to His side. I can rejoice in the fact that the trials that come my way can bring joy because they put me right down on my knees. They bring me to the place where I get "out of myself" and into God. This is the place that I need to stay. I pray that the days to come will bring joy to the lives of those who I love. I pray that the days to come will find my children walking in the truth. I pray that the days to come will find me more like the Savior.

Yes, I will choose this day to count it all joy. I will choose this day to put the past where it belongs - in the past - and walk in newness of life. Praise God for His saving, redeeming grace.

Do What I Can Today

It has really been a hard couple of months for me. I have been really overwhelmed with the busyness of work and some really difficult family situations. Some times in the night I would lay there and just wonder if God really was there and if He really was in control.

What I am finding though is that I have had such a preoccupation with the future. What would happen to my kids, what would happen to my job, what about the economy, on and on it goes. And I am finding that no matter how much I worry about all of this - I cannot make one bit of difference in the future. I can only do what I can do today.

My mom used to quote that verse of scripture that says "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Of course, that always makes me chuckle because my mom is the queen of worry. I learned from the master. I realize that God intends me to live in the here and now. Do the best that I can do today to affect change in the lives of those that I have influence on. Work on the project that is at hand and do all that I can to give 100% of my best effort to see that the work TODAY is done well. All of these things are what I truly can do to impact what I say that I am so concerned about.

I need to lay down the thought that I can control anything. God is in control. I am not. No matter what - He has a plan and a purpose for everything. Even the tough things that I would rather not think about or have to deal with. All of it is meant to mold and shape me into the woman of God that He has so longed for me to become. I long to be the faithful servant that He created me to be.

I have limited capacity. The capacity that I have needs to be funneled into the work, the relationships, the joy of today. And maybe - just maybe the future will take care of itself.