Change Your Perspective

"Lift your eyes! See it in a different light; it's just a cloud up in the open sky! Let the rain fall away, cause today is beautiful!" - David Dunn

Our afflictions demand all our attention. They steal our hearts and our minds away from Jesus, and direct them towards a much less worthy object: pain. Whatever we may face, be it stress or illness or any number of life situations, we should STOP facing them. On our face is our eyes; divert your eyes from what is worthless and direct them to what is worthy!

I am NOT asking you to ignore problems that arise in your life. To do so would be foolish! They would trample us with our backs turned. I am, however, exhorting you to let God face your problems, and stop worrying about them! When we turn to His name for guidance, He honors our faithfulness by giving us strength, rest, whatever we NEED. He will not let His child be overwhelmed when they have called upon His name! Manafest's song "Overboard" paints a beautiful picture of this.

And now that God has control, TRUST that God has control! View your problem in perspective with the rest of your life you have ahead of you: it's just one cloud raining on you. And not only that, it's the only cloud in an open sky! Not another like it is in sight for miles! We need to change the way we view things; to look at our own problems without seeking Jesus is selfish, for we are thinking of ourselves. However, when we seek Jesus, we are selfless, for we are thinking of Him! Let this cloud rain on you; you WILL persevere because of God's strength and you WILL come through cleaner and more faithful than when you went in! 

While we're in the midst of our storm, we can know God will provide for us. Lincoln Brewster just recently came out with a new album, "Oxygen", and one song on it has really impacted me:

"You hold my head up!
You remind me who I am;
You hold my head up! 
I'm alive in You again;
I'm made new!" - Lincoln Brewster, "Made New"

See, Jesus makes us NEW. But, what is made new is made from what was previously old. The old man, that we have died to, has plenty of salvageable parts in God's capable hands. We see no good in that old man, as we should... there IS no good in it! But God can take and shape what is not good and make it good, then restore it in our life!

Case and point: I was bullied a lot in school. For a long while, I was depressed and upset and almost suicidal (though not quite to that point). I cried out to God day in and day out and He never seemed to notice my pain; I saw no response. Eventually, when I had given up and just let go of everything, God found me and made me new! And even though I didn't know it then, He would use my experience for good!

Because I was bullied, I know the power of words. And now God turned that into a blog! Because I was bullied, I know what it's like to hurt. And now God has those who are hurt approach me so I can point them to Himself! What was once bad, has now become good. God may give us some pretty terrible life situations, just as He did for Job, and yet, He knows that it will glorify Him and become good in time! We just have to let God work His perfect work in us, then wait for it to MATURE with TIME!

Our cloud is not the only one of it's kind. There are other clouds floating around, dumping their showers upon others. Don't be afraid to get yourself wet with other's pain and offer an umbrella. Meeting someone where they are at, and being willing to walk with them through anything, looks like Jesus more than most other things. Jesus was willing to walk through our own pain - our sin, our hurts, our unfaithfulness - and carried that upon His shoulders! We should emulate His character and shoulder one another's burdens! It's all about LOVE, yall!

Storms are creeping up over the horizon. The winds begin to blow, and the ever ominous weather vane stirs to life, creaking and declaring the coming storm. The storm cloud darkens, and the lightening flashes and the thunder booms. But you WILL stand your ground, for your God is your foundation! You may be shaken, you may be buffeted, but you will pull through! Your God holds you close! The rain may get you wet, but stand in the rain! Open skies are ahead for those who persevere and look to the One who can save!

"Stand in the rain,
stand your ground!
Stand up when it's all crashing down!
Stand through the pain, 
you won't drown!
And one day, what's lost can be found,
so stand in the rain!" - Superchick

Do not fear or flee, for your God fights for you. Your mind will deceive you; it will scream for you to acknowledge the storm and the howling winds and the merciless downpour. DO NOT LISTEN TO YOUR MIND. Listen to your GOD. Acknowledging the storm gives it power, and the winds become hurricanes, and the downpours become floodwaters. The waves will surely overcome you then. But trust in your God, who gives you strength, and do not fear! He is with you! He comforts you! Acknowledge the open skies ahead; just you and Jesus and eternity before you, and with an undying voice sing His praises in a mockery of the futile storm, for really, it's just a pitiful cloud compared to our Savior's strength! And as we brave our storms, our neighbors' storms, and strangers' storms, we look to Him and continue to #LiveItLikeJesus.