A God’s-Eye View
“Now we see but a poor reflection as
in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall
know fully, even as I am fully known.”
1
Corinthians 13:12
Whether we know it or not, God is
constantly desiring to help us to see from a broader perspective than we
presently see. Inherent within the Scriptures is the
idea that we have great limitations. We
read that in 1 Corinthians 13:12, when Paul says, “Now we see but a poor
reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part;
then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”
As a parent, you understand this truth
in comparison to your children.
Sometimes you have to make decisions on larger facts. Kids may not understand. As a leader, you understand this truth. You make a decision based on 100% of the
information. Others may have 40% and
question why you did that. God has to do
the same thing with us. He has the full
perspective of what is going on. We have
only a partial perspective.
But part of the Christian life is
learning to expand our perspective to see that God is working something far
greater than we understand and trust Him. Philippians
4:4, Paul writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, “Rejoice.” In other words, Paul is telling us when you
have a limited perspective, life is going to take control of you. But when you
have a larger or broader perspective, you will find yourself in control of your
circumstances. Paul was facing
hardship. Yet he still is able to say,
“Rejoice and rejoice again,” because he sees from God’s perspective.
In G.W. Target’s short story, “The
Window,” we understand this better. He tells about two men, both seriously
ill, who occupied the same small hospital room.
One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to
help drain the fluid from his lungs. His
bed was next to the room’s only window.
He would look out of it. The
other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke about everything. Wives and families. Homes.
Jobs. Involvement in the military.
Where they vacationed. Every
afternoon, when the man in the bed could sit up, he would pass the time by
describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live
for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by
all the activity and color of the outside world. He was always encouraged. The
window overlooked the park with a lovely lake, the man said. Ducks and swans
played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of
every color of the rainbow. Grand old
trees graced the landscape. A fine view
of the city skylight could be seen in the distance. As the man in the window described all this
in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes
and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the
window described a parade passing by.
Although the other man couldn’t hear the
band, he could see it in his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window
portrayed it with descriptive words.
Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head: Why should he have all the pleasure of seeing
everything while I never get to see anything?
It didn’t seem fair. As the
thought fermented, the man felt ashamed at first. But as days passed and he missed more sights,
his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He began to brood and he found himself unable
to sleep. He should be by the
window. Late one night as he lay staring
at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his
lungs. The other man watched the dimly
lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for
help. Listening from across the room, he
never moved, never pushed his own button, which would have brought the nurse
running. In less than five minutes the coughing and choking stopped, along with
the sound of breathing. Now there was
only silence.
The following morning the day nurse
arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found
the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and called the
hospital attendants to take it away. As
soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to
the window. The nurse was happy to make
the switch. After making sure he was
comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly
and painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it
all himself. He strained to look out the
window beside the bed. It faced a blank
wall.
The first man had the ability to
imagine and picture in his mind greater things than actually existed.
He was describing in details what he had hoped for. The first thing Paul tells us is that
whatever the conditions that we have been in, are in, or will be in, we are
able to choose to rejoice. For the
person who has a relationship with Christ, joy has nothing to do with our
circumstances and everything to do with our position in Christ. The problem we have is that we are often
like the thermostat, rather than being a thermometer.
But Paul reminds us that the key is
through perspective. He writes, “Rejoice in the Lord
always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” In other words, regardless of what is
taking place on the outside, as believers in Christ Jesus, you always have a
reason to rejoice. And if that is how
God sees it, that is how we need to see it.
Terry Risser
Reflections:
1)
Why do we lose sight of the good things God is doing?
2)
What can you thank Him for today that He might be working in the dark?
Consider reading the Word today:
Copyright
2014- Terry Risser
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