Category: Perspective

Grasshoppers

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We are not grasshoppers.

Maybe you think you are, but you’re not. I’m not just being silly….Keep reading.

Numbers 13 tells the story of the 12 spies scouting out the land that God had given to the Hebrews. They spent 40 days exploring the land, and at the end they came back with a report. Two of the spies (Caleb & Joshua) said “We should go up & take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” That’s a good encouraging report! Unfortunately, there were 10 other spies that replied “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are….The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size….We seemed like GRASSHOPPERS in our OWN eyes, and we looked the same to them.” The second report wasn’t so encouraging….it was rather deflating & discouraging.

Who really would want to do something like that, where your good friends & knowledgeable people came to tell you how little chance you’d have of accomplishment? I probably wouldn’t have wanted to go either…..but then again, who knows. I just heard a sermon on this passage, and it shocked me too to hear that they said how they “seemed like grasshoppers” in their OWN eyes. They had a view of themselves as little bugs…little annoying bugs that men can easily squash. Grasshoppers don’t have a lot of power…but they do seem to “whine” a lot, which is why I know we can crush them.

But what did Caleb & Joshua see that made them think so differently? They knew the power that they had with them. It was the power of the Holy Spirit, not their own power that they put trust in. I think the others must have known they had the Holy Spirit too, but didn’t trust in the POWER of it in them. The Holy Spirit’s power is in each of us who put our trust in God, and who truly believe that He is the One True God that saves us from our sinfulness. It is very easy to be discouraged when those around us, even people who love us, say… “you can’t do that,” or “I don’t know that that would be the best choice,” or “is that really where you think God is calling you?” You second guess yourself, and if you’re not completely confident in the power of the Lord, often you will give up that dream or desire.

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline (2 Tim. 1:7). We are each given the Holy Spirit, with the same power…missionaries in foreign lands don’t have a special power, pastors don’t have a special power…we ALL have this power & can overcome the things of this world that fight against us in the spiritual realms. Luke 10:19 reminds us of the authority we’ve been given….”I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions (two terms used to describe evil spirits visible in people of that day)…and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” Wow. That sounds powerful. AND WE HAVE THAT IN US! Right now! Wherever you are!

So why are we so afraid to step out in faith & do the things we know God wants us to do? Why are we so afraid to say what we want to say about our commitment to Christ? Why? Have you thought about it? Use that authority to overcome the words of other people, of the beliefs you hear, and to overcome even the words you put in your own mind to discourage you. You are given power through the Holy Spirit to go into the world & change lives…to set captives free! Be FREE in Christ, not captives in the world.

So remember the grasshopper….yes, you are small like him, and yes, we probably all whine like him too. BUT we are not able to be crushed like him.

A life in the morning

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Driving into work this morning, I watched as the beaming red sun woke the world from behind the edge of the earth. It shone so bright and crisp. The way it hit all the trees, the homes & sparkled off the lake made everything look brand new. All being kissed for the first time, all over again. Each morning, this happens. It’s a new day, a new beginning. If you watch, you can see the trees speak it, in the way they reflect the light, peeking through the leaves & down their branches. The grass stands in attention waiting to be brought into the warmth.

It occurred to me how every day, we see these things as new, fresh, with a brand new perspective from the day before. Each day, we learn, we live, we experience, we grow…and each day, we awake new, fresh, changed somehow yet still the same. We are the same people, just like the trees are the same trees day to day, yet each morning we see them in the sun & they look new.

It made me wonder how I can take the things I do day to day, and see the new perspective Christ can bring. He’s like the sun in the mornings, creating such beautiful light that things look new & fresh….he can renew our mind like that and bring us to a peaceful start of the day, looking at things with his grand & divine perspective.

What will tomorrow bring? The night air sags, it hangs pensive…just waiting to be cleared, to be pushed away & the freedom of morning to bring redemption to the day. Will you be there? Will you wait for the morning? Will you live your life in the morning & not in the shadows? Pray that God will bring this new day, bursting forth with radiance…..not only in the sky, but in our hearts.

Fading out…and in

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Is it odd when you suddenly realize that not so suddenly you’ve stopped doing things that are important to you? When you see your life in a perspective not seen for a while, or through a vision that you’ve lost sight of? What about when you remember the things you used to wait for, long for, savor moments of and you realize that you’re not waiting for those things any more.

I’m not the only one…a cupbearer of the Pharoah’s says what I feel like lately “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings….” (Genesis 41:9) When you keep going, and everything’s “fine” and then you get a little jolt. Ha…you thought everything was fine, but look once again. Did you forget about me? I feel like a gentile when Paul wrote “I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another. I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:14-16)

I don’t know what to compare a good reminder to….it’s like one of those really great things, that you know is good for you, but you forget how much it hurts at the same time…it’s like, ‘Oh yeah! Thanks for reminding me….but ouch, did I really go there?’

Slowly fading in & out….up & down…..one shade to another and back again. I love what it tells us in Hebrews 10:32 “Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering.” This is exactly what I need to do. and as I ponder, “I remember your ancient laws, O Lord, and I find comfort in them.” (Psalm 119:52)

Remind me Lord, of your great glory, your power, love & omnipotence. Remind me of your faithfulness, and how you satisfy my thirst. You are my Light….”Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.” (Eccl. 11:7)

Defining Moments

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The thought occurred to me today to think about those defining moments in my life, when something has shifted inside of me to make my view of life or of myself change. I immediately thought about the moments that huge surprises come upon us, and we are thrown into a time or moment of shock….or maybe awe. But is it really in that same moment that we change? You might argue with me (and not get too much fight from me) that it is in that moment that some things may change, or rather we may realize at that moment that things will be essentially different, but realizing situations or life will be different doesn’t necessarily equal a defining moment.

For something to define you, I believe it takes insight, circumstantial change & inner rearranging both in thought & actions. Let’s take Black Thursday for example. That was a horrible day & incidents that changed many people’s lives. But….let’s think. Was it in those moments that people were changed? Or was it in the weeks – months to follow that they were changed? I would argue that it is in the small moments, the ones we barely notice, where we grow the most & where the rest of our lives are defined. It is in the small, quiet moments that reality meets our dreams & the two collide to make a new vision.

It is in those moments where you realize you have to choose to either dwell in the shock of your circumstance of grasp the truth that you hold inside & move forward in a new or redefined direction. Using the knowledge you’ve gained to cast light on your path. You have to choose to look ahead, not forgetting the past but using it. What you do after those startling days, will define who you are. It will show who the real you is and what you’re capable of. For it should not be the circumstances around us that shape who we are, but the change within us that defines our life.

Perspective through Prisms

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On the road tonight, I was going back over my day. I was thinking about all my conversations, the interactions I had & the feelings I got from people. One conversation stuck out to me. We were talking about how some people aren’t really who they have been or who they really are…trying to find that again.

Well, I pondered this as I drove. Because I feel like I am currently not who I am normally…which got me thinking further…is the person I was, supposed to be the same as who I will be? If the person I am now, is not the same as last year, should the person I was last year be my goal? I don’t think so….I hope actually that I am in some ways completely different than the person I was last year. So many things have happened, that it would be a shame if it didn’t change the person I was into the person I should be. And we all know transition is odd & awkward….maybe that’s why I don’t feel like myself: it’s because I’m turning into someone else…not necessarily a worse someone, but someone different. And because I don’t know who that will be, it feels frightening. BUT….here’s the positive thought that came through.

Light, when it comes through glass, makes a new, condensed light. Put a few different pieces of glass in front of a light & it will make a few different lights. Okay, stay with me…this will get cool. Imagine that you are like a light, the sun perhaps, that will shine until the end. Now imagine that trials are like glass. They’re hard & you have to somehow make it through. Imagine a prism….there’s lots of facets, lots of hard things to go through…twists & turns that you can’t always see but they’re there none the less. When your light goes through it, does it come out the same or unchanged? Absolutely not. It comes out better….brighter, colorful & magnificent. Without the obstacle of a prism in the light’s way, you would never know how many colors you light held. And think of how prisms make light dance. Rainbows shine all over a room, just like the people you’ll touch when you go through these “prisms”. If you didn’t have that to change you, you’d only shine in one spot….but because of the facets, you can shine to many many many people & show a brighter picture.

My life is changing & shining through a prism. It has to go through something before the new beauty can shine! I’m waiting…..trying to find my way, but can you imagine with me? If your life is going through a prism, what will you look like on the other side?