Perspective.
This was the one word I heard as I was working through a recent situation a few weeks ago where I had to have a serious pep talk with myself.
My response to Him: What does that even mean, Lord?
Before I share what He revealed to me, let me ask you this:
What do you think about when you hear that word? What images or words come to mind?
For me, when God spoke this word to me, I instantly had a vision of receiving a new pair of eyes, new vision and a new viewpoint.
Coming out of this serious pep talk week, I received a text from a close friend asking me how I was doing. This was lesson number one on perspective because I didn’t even have to lie. I told her I was feeling good and at peace. Nothing had changed about the situation, but I had changed and was changing.
It is a beautiful thing to still have the joy and peace of the Lord in the midst of trials, especially when situations haven’t changed but you know you are changing.
If you can still smile through tears and rest in the simple truth that God is still sovereign, still faithful and still answers prayers no matter how long you have been waiting or how long ago you prayed about it, Sis that is the beauty of perspective.
Take joy in knowing that He doesn’t forget (well just your sins, but that is a good thing!). This was a new perspective for me.
After sharing that with her, she switched gears, or so I thought, and asked me this:
What does it mean to “against all hope believed in hope”?
Followed by:
How would you apply that to your life?
With my sanctified self (not really, lol), I told her she couldn’t just send me a scripture that wasn’t a complete sentence and ask me to tell her what it meant to me. I needed context and some background. After a little prodding, she gave me the scripture reference and I looked it up.
Well, what I thought was us moving to another topic, was in fact an opportunity for me to verbally process things and again gain…
You guessed it…Perspective.
It forced me to contextualize and consider some things as I found myself asking the same questions from yesterday’s post.
I would apply it to my life [right now] that when nothing looked like, felt like… all hope could be lost…a hopeless situation in the natural, as in [my recent situation] something in me still allows me to cling to hope…not in me or the situation or even [those involved], but hope that the God of the universe, my Father who has been faithful to the cries of this daughter for over 30 years will perform a miracle. He is worth hoping in because His track record is impeccable. But it doesn’t mean that I will see the full manifestation of what He promised me in October 2001-that peace was coming to my family. He never said I would be around to see it. It doesn’t mean He is a liar. If He said it, it would come to pass but am I ok if I don’t see it in my lifetime. [It] may be just glimpses. Can I still believe He is good? Can I still hope and trust Him in other things, despite the fact that this one thing, which frankly I would give it all up to see happen before I take my last breath, may not happen for me to see if I leave this earth before [those involved]? But the Lord reminded me that even if they don’t change or the situation doesn’t change…I am changing. I am not going to endure this in vain.
Perspective.
Truth be told, God doesn’t always answer our prayers. Sometimes He does and it may not be in the way we would want, like or expect.
So what should you do? Here are 5 things to consider, in addition to the ones I talked about above:
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Learn something. (You truly can have joy in the midst of trials.)
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Let go of something. (i.e., what you want and embrace His will)
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Lean on/into the Lord and His Word. (Cry, shout, scream if you have to but press in)
- Listen to how He is leading you. (Especially when this is a situation you have dealt with for some time or keeps coming up over and over again)
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Dagnabbit, YOU change. (Even if others or the situation doesn’t. Don’t suffer in vain.)
To have a healthy perspective these days, you have to see things (and people) from God’s point of view. With all that is going on around us in the world, in this country, in your and my personal life and the lives of those we love, thank Him for ‘perspective‘.
Refuse to allow the enemy to paint a picture that God isn’t good or that He is not a Good Good Father, even while you are waiting and things may appear hopeless. Ask Him to remind you of your APs as you give yourself pep talks along the way.
Sis, as you are waiting, ask the Lord to show you His perspective. This song is what helped me to keep my perspective of the Lord untainted during my recent circumstance. As you listen to this song by Housefires, reflect on the words. I posted some of it below.
Lady In Waiting 222 
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