Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. [Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)]
“He’s so young!” my husband said when my brother died at the age of fifty-six. I reminded him that my dad was the same age when he died. “But he was old!” my husband exclaimed. The difference, of course, is that we were in our fifties when my brother died but only in our twenties when my father did. Now, almost thirty years after my brother’s death, our definition of “young” includes anyone under 85!
That the same thing can look so different from two viewpoints makes me think of those tilt or magic motion cards that used to come in Cracker Jack© boxes. Done by something called lenticular printing, one card holds two or more different images. Titled one way, we might see the traditional Mona Lisa but, tilted the other way, she would be winking with a goofy grin on her face. What is perceived on a tilt card depends on the angle at which it is viewed just as whether someone seems young or old depends as much on our age as theirs.
When we look at a magic motion card, we see only what’s right in front of us but, when God looks at one, He sees it from all sides. Likewise, from our viewpoint, we only see what’s happening in our lives right now and how it affects us and those we love; but God sees our yesterdays, todays, and tomorrows! While we see the delay and feel the frustration of waiting, from His viewpoint, God sees us learning patience. We see the task and protest that our work is too demanding, but He sees that we’re learning determination. We see the unknown and hesitate in fear, but He sees us learning to trust Him. We see the betrayal and feel resentment, but He sees us learning to forgive. We see the burden of parenthood and grow tired, but He sees us learning about sacrifice. We see the spouse with Alzheimer’s, but God sees us learning about unconditional love. We see the failure and are disheartened, but He sees us developing resilience. Rather than looking at circumstances from just our viewpoint, we need to tilt the picture a bit and try to see our circumstances through the eyes of God.
One of my favorite Bible verses is Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Just as we can’t see both pictures at once in a magic motion card, while we’re focused on today, we’re incapable of seeing both the purpose of our challenges and what lies on the other side of them. We will have to settle for knowing that our loving God sees it all and choose to trust that His direction and timing ultimately are for our own good.
I must learn that the purpose of my life belongs to God, not me. God is using me from his great personal perspective, and all he asks of me is that I trust him. [Oswald Chambers]
Last Monday, I referenced an article in Christianity Today by theology teacher Jared Dodson whose students wanted to know “when bad people will get what they deserve.” Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that bad people will get what they deserve while on this side of the grass. Nevertheless, if they don’t repent and follow Jesus, those people eventually will get their comeuppance. Scripture makes it clear that those who don’t know God and follow the gospel of Jesus “will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power.” [2 Thes 1:8-9]
When Nintendo introduced the Wii gaming console in November of 2006, their initial allotment of only one million consoles for North America meant that customers lined up in droves desperate to buy one. With demand outstripping inventory, my husband and I got up before dawn one cold November morning in 2006 and stood in line with hundreds of others so we could fulfill Christmas wishes for our family.
Things were going well for Moses in Midian: he was happily married, with a family, and tending his father-in-law’s sheep. Then God interrupted his comfortable life with a burning bush and a major task: free the Israelites. Moses reacted the way most of us would by questioning God. Who am I to do this? Who do I say sent me? What if they don’t believe me? He then told God he simply wasn’t up to the task. Not one to be thwarted, God responded to all of Moses’ concerns. He would be with him, provide the words, the proof, and even Aaron to do the talking. In short, God promised to provide and so Moses obeyed.
I still go online to read the newspaper from what was our hometown for over fifty years. Last week, it was filled with news about the events of Fiesta Days. With its Car Show, Big Wheel Race, Duck Derby, Beach Bash, Street Fair, Music Fest, Art Show, Parade, Fireworks, and Carnival (complete with rides and funnel cakes), the festival is one of summer’s highlights.
Several “Nancy” comics written and drawn by Guy Gilchrist have inspired my writing. Curious about the cartoonist, I was not surprised to learn that he is a Christian; that was not always true. As a boy, he was poor, lonely, abused, and searching for someone and something in which to believe. Missing a dad, he found a father figure in an unlikely place—television—and in a remarkable person—a radio, television and movie star by the name of Roy Rogers. When the young cartoonist was unsure how to behave, he’d look to the singing cowboy and ask himself, “What would Roy do?” He knew his cowboy hero always took the right course of action. Although Rogers was publicly vocal about his faith, Gilchrist didn’t know his hero was a Christ follower until many years later.
Devotions of the Heart 