I remember when I was in college, I had really liked this girl who, by the way, had started to like me. I wanted to take her to an upcoming event at school, wasn’t confident in how she felt about me.
So, we were at a roller skating party and I skated by (without falling), and asked her if she wanted to go to this big school event with me. I don’t know if I made myself entirely clear, and her answer was not clear to me. It was a noisy skating rink after all and I was nervous. So I skated on past thinking she might have said she was going with some one else. I was a little embarrassed, but I didn’t want to look like I was. I decided to act natural. Nonchalant.
I looked quite the opposite. I looked stiff and distant. She began to wonder if I was upset with her or maybe didn’t like her very much after all…….
We were both misinterpreting each other because our perspective was off. My perspective was that this girl couldn’t possibly like me that much, so I interpreted her behavior based on that. Then I started acting strange which she interpreted as me not liking her.
Later I stopped her and made sure I understood only to find out I was seeing things incorrectly.
Fast Forward 30 or so years, and now I’m trying to have a relationship with God. I look to God for hope, peace and direction. I believe Jesus is savior and want to following His example, serving God.
It seems like over the last few years, I’ve tried my best to make decisions that will honor God, but more often than not things don’t turn out the way I’d hope. I try to keep my faith strong and give God the benefit of the doubt, but sometimes I accuse Him of being uncaring toward me. Other times I’m just quietly hurt and deeply disappointed in Him. Later I berate myself for not having enough faith and being upset with such minor disappointments.
To be honest, this has been a pattern in my life since I was young.
What have I been missing that a good and loving God can seem uninterested or fickle when it comes to my attempts to serve Him or my welfare? Is something wrong with me?
I read of great men of God like King David or Paul. The hardships they experienced were great, but they still seemed to trust God and enjoy knowing Him. What did they have that I don’t? Whatever it is, I want it.
It occurred to me that those great individuals served the same God I do. So perhaps something else is off base. That’s when I started thinking about perspective. I wondered if I could find a new and more truthful perspective that would shape how I see God and my life’s circumstances.
If, as I believe, God is always good and always loving and always wise, then perhaps there is a new way to look at my life and the disappointments I face.
Is there a new perspective I can have, one that will help me see life clearly, and think clearly?
Could that help me with life’s really big questions?
- Do I matter?
- Can I trust you God?
- What is my purpose?
- What happens after I die?
I started thinking and writing. I also gave my son Michael a call and said, “Want to help me on a project?”
LENSES was born. We decided to start at the very beginning with questions about God’s existence and what He is like before diving into the life’s big questions. We decided to release a series of videos, and knew we had to keep each to around 5 min.
Each video will just brush the surface, but it’s interesting and encouraging to take a look at what we believe and how it changes how we see life and the circumstances around us.
Our first episode releases on YouTube, February 11, 2016 at 11:45 am. So, while you are grabbing lunch take a look, think about it and then shoot us a question at this link.
I invite you to join Michael and me as we look for a clearer perspective.
Have questions? Leave us a message at our contact page.
Adam
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