Perspective

"This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things that are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

-Phil. 3:13-14

I've always marveled at the view from a plane window. Up there, I can see all the way to where the earth blends into the horizon. Everything makes sense... the layout of cities, the nicely plotted squares of property, the roads weaving and winding to connect everything. 

But the people "down there" have a severely limited view, trapped within what can often seem like a nonsensical maze (at least to me, and my hopeless sense of direction!). 

Out of a plane window everything looks peaceful, almost surreal. As I stared out my window at the thousands of miles of desert, mountains, and houses passing below, I began to wonder what was the reality of the people whose lives I was getting a glimpse of from above. What fears, worries, and challenges do they face that they feel hopeless to rise above? Every person has a story;  some may be happy, while others wonder where to find the courage to face another day. What if they could look at their small plot of life--surrounded by endless expanses of land--from my view from a plane window far above?  To be able to rise up and see it all from a different perspective changes everything. 

I contemplated that as I crossed the mainland, because with Jesus, it is possible for that to be our reality--to view things from above, through His eyes, from His perspective. When we are in His presence we rise above the reality of the natural world and enter the reality of His kingdom. Heartache, fears, challenges--everything seems so small and insignificant in His presence. They fade away. They cannot abide in His presence. I want His reality to be my reality.

Hawaii is beautiful! I am exhausted, but perfectly at peace in the knowledge that I am exactly where God would have me... on a rock somewhere in the middle of the Pacific... 

My heart's desire for these next six months is that the Lord would continue moment by moment to fuel my desire, passion, and love for Him. I want living "above" the natural world and seeing things from His perspective rather than my own to be a lifestyle, rather than an occasional relief.