Joni Erickson Tada had this to say about perspective: “Perspective is everything when you are experiencing the challenges of life.” Joni has been in a wheelchair from a paralyzing diving accident since she was 17 but has not let that stop her. She is an international Christian author, speaker and supporter of those with disabilities. Her perspective on life was God-centered. Let’s think about perspective.
The dictionary defines perspective as: “A particular attitude toward or way of regarding something.” It’s our attitude or how we see things. I was vacuuming today, yes, I do that occasionally, and thought I was done but on the way to put the vacuum up I saw several pieces of grass or dirt that had been missed. It was because the light from the window was shining in a different direction as I walked back; I had a different perspective. This brought on a thought process of several things that have to do with perspective.
Psalm 23:4 says, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” The shadow of death. Hey, a shadow cannot hurt you no matter how you perceive it. A little kid may be terrified of a shadow but we should not be. And, for there to be a shadow, there must be a light. Jesus is the light! (John 8:12).
In Mark 4:35-41 the disciples and Jesus were in a storm on the lake. The disciples’ perspective was that they were going to drown. Jesus’ perspective was, “Chill guys, don’t you have any faith?” (My interpretation.) They saw the storm in different ways.
The devil may have different perspectives too. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8). First, the devil roams around “like” a lion seeing who he can attack. He wants us to perceive him as non-threatening instead of dangerous so he can attack us like a lion. Second, He’s looking for someone who has a misguided perception of themselves. He’s looking for someone weak but, in God, we are strong! I recently wrote in my blog about this HERE. We need to perceive the devil as he is, a defeated foe, and see ourselves from the perspective that God has of us.
And then, think about the perspective people had when Jesus was on the cross. They thought it was over, that they had lost. Hell had the same perspective, but that they had won. But what was Jesus’ perspective? He knew what was happening and His perspective was eternal…for us.
“Wisdom is looking at life from God’s point of view.” Adrian Rogers. How is it going in your life? How are we looking at our lives? From our perspective or God’s? Big difference! “My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.” (Psalm 73:26). It’s how we look at or perceive things. Do we need to change our perspective?