It’s All About Perspective

It’s All about Perspective

I am confident I will see the LORD’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13

On any adventure or journey, we will almost always encounter trouble or difficulty, but that doesn’t mean we’ve missed God’s will. In the Chinese language, two characters make up the word crisis. One character means “danger,” and the other means “opportunity.” During the time when our dream or goal is delayed or maybe even looks impossible to accomplish, our perspective is all-important. We can choose to focus on the difficulties or on the opportunity those difficulties set before us.

As a woman on a plane buckled her seat belt, she noticed a strange thing: On one side of the airplane a sunset filled the entire sky with brilliant color. But out of the window next to her seat, all she could see was a dark, threatening sky. As the plane began to taxi down the runway, the woman heard a gentle voice within her: You have noticed the windows. Your life, too, will contain some happy, beautiful times but also some dark shadows. Here’s a lesson that will save you much heartache and allow you to abide in me with continual peace and joy: It doesn’t matter which window you look through; this plane is still going to California. So it is in your life. You have a choice. You can dwell on the gloomy picture, or you can focus on the bright things and leave the dark, ominous situations to me. I alone can handle them, anyway.

If we learn this life lesson, we will be free to live life as the great adventure it is. No matter what happens, we will be able to remain hopeful and confident in the One who is leading us on this great journey of following Christ and his plan for our lives. —CHERI

Jesus, when I am overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. Grant me an eternal perspective so that I won’t dwell on the darkness or the difficulties.

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.

—CORRIE TEN BOOM (1892–1983), HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR, AUTHOR