It's All About Perspective
Rain. First pattering, then thudding. Hitting grass, wood, glass, cement. Puddles form upon the earth, small rivers streaking through.
Grey clouds layer the sky, their ridges taking on the look of a garden freshly hoed.
I rise, slip into my sandals, and turn my gaze to the window to spectate. My heart thrums a little in disappointment as reality sinks in: the gloomy weather means no running, no walking, and certainly no bike-riding. Not for a while, anyway.
My shoulders slump, and I sigh. Grabbing my Kindle and journal, I flop down on the bed and begin my devotions. After that, it's time for breakfast (Special K + bananas) and checking my Gmail inbox. Then I tap open the weather radar app and observe the blotches of green and yellow headed our way.
I swallow. So much rain!
"Dad, will it stay like this all day?" I ask, showing him the phone.
"Let's see." He promptly reaches over and uses two fingers to expand the map. All of a sudden, the huge blob of predicted foul weather looks teensy in comparison to the rest of the US. More like a moving dot than anything else.
"Nope," says Dad cheerfully. "Looks like it'll last for the morning, then go away." And he continues helping Sadie with her breakfast.
Wow! That's . . . different. I stare at the new image on my phone screen and feel some of my earlier tension slip away into nothingness.
Looking at the late-summer storms from a different angle - an angle far from the blown-up version I generally used - served as a much-needed lesson on the power of perspective.
Perspective is a very important part of our lives. It determines everything, from how we feel to how we act. It can ruin us, or it can shape us.
Choose now how you want to view the world. Other people. The daily chores you're assigned to do. And yes, even a weather radar app.
Will you zoom in close, see the overwhelming amount, and become discouraged? Or step back and see how things appear from God's eyes? He sees things as they are: fleeting. Gone in a moment. And everything He allows to enter our lives is for our good and His glory.
May we trust Him and seek to find the bigger picture instead of grumbling about one part of it. He knows the whole story, from the beginning of time to the end. We can rest in this, rest in His peace, His love. These hard things of life shall pass, leaving eternal glory and splendor in their wake. I can hardly wait for that moment!
