The Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “perspective”
as a vista or a view. It refers to the depth of how we see
things.
Perspective can help us recognize that there are dimensions
even in our relationships. And “perspective” also assists us
with the subjective evaluation we place on people as well as
events. Thus, the longer we each live, the greater and more
informed our perspective becomes. {from the January
issueof Transformation Gardens newsletter}
I think it would be easier for today’s Christians to take the
whole issue of God, spirituality and Heaven more seriously
if we could adjust our perspective of mortal life versus
eternal life.
We tend to think of life here on earth in terms of what’s
‘real’. Jobs, marriages, finances, relationships, etc….these
are concrete, real issues that we can see, elements that we
deal with, hands-on, every day.
In contrast, Heaven, eternal life, sin, grace…..these are also
real, but they’re items we deal with in the abstract. It’s
difficult to put them in the same category as the pink slip or
divorce papers we hold in our hands today. It’s hard, even
for believers, who are otherwise good Christians, to attach
as much gravity to God’s promise of an eternal someday to
the terminal diagnosis we got from the oncologist this after-
noon.
The only way we get to a place where God’s perspective is
as real to us as our own is brought about by a quality called
‘faith’. Faith, simply put, is the ability, granted to us by
God, that enables us to believe what we can’t see. To
invest in what we have no physical evidence of. Why?
Because an all-powerful, loving Father who has never once
lied to us about anything, at any time, tells us so. In our
hearts and in His word.
He has never once, in recorded history, told us anything but
the truth, xo it’s a bit ludicrous to think that He would begin
lying now and about such an important topic that will
eventually affect every one of us!
Jesus is certainly upfront in telling the disciples that life here
on earth is going to be hard. He doesn’t sugarcoat anything.
But He also told us that it would be worth it and that He’d
never leave us on our own. He reassured us that He would
be here to help us every step of the way.
He tells us over and over again that life here is only the firt
chapter of our existence and that death is merely a transition
between this life and the next one….the eternal one! An
eternal existence in paradise with He and His Father that will
be more wonderful than anything we have ever imagined.
That is the destiny that awaits us once we accept the miracu-
lous gift of forgiveness and salvation that He earned for us by
by dying that horrible death on the cross. The wages for
sin was and is death. That penalty had to be paid before we
were eligible to be with God. Now stop for a moment and
consider this: Jesus loved s so much, that He chose to face
that awful agoey and death rather than live without us!!
And face it He did! Is there any conceivable reason for Him
to have put Himself through any of that if Heaven was no
more than a fairy tale? If none of it were true? Of course
not!!
What we perceive of as an ending here on earth —- what we
call death is not an ending at all! Its the glorious beginning
of a wonderful exciting forever with God that will never end.
So as we go through the troubles and heartaches and pain
that make up this life here on earth, we have the hope of
Heaven to hold onto. Each and every one of God’s promises
to us that we can depend on, to carry us through.
The paradise that awaits us in the future as Christians is
every bit as real and concrete as the suffering we endure while
we’re here on earth. And the bible promises, the pain encoun-
tered here will fade away and be as nothing compared to the
joy that’s coming!
Keeping all these things in mind will make it easier to adjust
our perspective about whatever we have to deal with in this
life.
None of this means of course that the things we go through in
our lives are trivial. They’re not. But they’re also, in many
cases, not worth the time, attention and frantic amount of
worry that we devote to them either. Something we should
always remember is that if God allows a trial to touch our
lives, then #1 He has a reason for it and
#2 He will provide us with the grace and strength
we need to cope with or overcome it
Even if we can’t understand what possible motive the Lord
might have for what happens, we have to trust in His unfail-
ing love for us. When we can’t see His hand, we must trust
Hisheart!!
God is always in control. Of everything, everywhere at all
times. If we believe that with all our hearts, not only do we
please Him, but it becomes much easier for us not to panic
when sudden, unforeseen problems pop up in our day-to-day
lives.
One example from my own life that comes to mind is my
diagnosis and ongoing battle with cancer that started back
in 2012. To say my family was mystified is an understatement!
My sister pitched the proverbial ‘hissy fit’!! “why you?” she
wailed. “No one works harder for Jesus than you! WHY
would He let this happen to you?”
Back then, I had no answer for her….but looking back over the
last 2 years and seeing what God has done with my illness I can
say exactly “Why me?” God wanted to give Christians a
message about dying and how we should approach it!
Who better to broadcast that message than a loud-mouthed,
Irish poet/storyteller who already had a fairly large world-wide
following thanks to a website and the Internet? I’ve spoken
to groups and individuals, bible classes, senior groups, church
seminars etc about what a Christian’s response to death should
be and why. My illness has put me in situations where I’ve
been available to speak to and with people who needed to hear
this message. The poems and stories I publish and post go
all over the world and I know that more weight is given to what
I say simply because I’m facing death myself and everyone wants
to understand my “I’m not afraid to die” attitude. Coming
from me it’s not just rhetoric because I’ve been there —done that!
God knew that my experience would make my statements even
more effective. But back on that winter afternoon in 2012, when
I sat holding hands with my hubby in the doctors office as he told
us that my uterine cancer had metastasized (can anyone spell that
word??) into my bones and that it was terminal, I truly had no
answer to my sister’s question. But even then, I didn’t need an
answer because I knew God had His reasons and that eventually
He’d let me know what they were. God loved me, He was in
charge and that was enough for me.
I could tell dozens of other stories from my life about how one
seemingly unexplainable thing was used in a totally unexpected
way by God to further His purpose here on earth.
Once you get faith in God’s purpose and motivation settled in
your heart, you’ll find evidence of it everywhere in your life.
Looking back you’ll realize that what you had written off as
merely a coincidence was anything but! A coincidence is simply
God choosing to remain anonymous. Realizing that you play a
part in God’s overall scheme of things; in His plan for His people,
it becomes much easier to adjust your perspective to fit His.
Your world will expand to include much more than just your
immediate surroundings. And when you wake to the fact that
you have been chosen by Almighty God to further His agenda for
mankind? That He considers your faith strong enough to carry
out His wishes? Let me tell you — as a Christian? It simply
doesn’t get any better than that!!
Dusty's Story 