I think we all have a special place where we can retreat and spend some time with the Lord and for whatever reason, just feel closer to Him. My place is the beach (if you don’t have a special place I encourage you to find one…even if it’s a chair in your house, or a park bench nearby). Although, my schedule doesn’t allow me to go as much as I would like, when I am there, sitting in my beach chair, listening to the waves crash against the shore, I am always powerfully reminded of the beauty and majesty of our Savior. The last time I went to the beach, I decided to take a jog. I had jogged the entire week on the sidewalk—it’s easier, but for whatever reason on the last day I wanted to spend as much time as I could on the beach—seeing the ocean. This particular jog I did alone because my friends wanted to sleep in. I was excited for some alone time with the Lord. I began my run on the white sand shores of the Gulf. Halfway through my run I had a moment with the Lord, I felt Him say, “look up daughter, look around and see the beauty all around you”. Now for someone who was so excited about running on the beach this seems a silly thing to have to be reminded, but you see, I was scared of falling. Running in the plush sand is hard…did I mention there was a clear drop in the shoreline…diff-i-cult to navigate. Instead of enjoying the beauty of the Lord’s creation, which is what I intended to do when I began my run, I stared at my smelly feet so I wouldn’t fall thus causing me to miss out on the beauty that was around me.
I am so thankful the Lord reminded me to look up and look around—because as you can imagine the view up was a lot more beautiful than the view I had been focusing on! This run with the Lord was a sweet reminder and encouragement about my walk with the Lord. So many times I forget to put on my Jesus Goggles ( I call them goggles instead of glasses because let’s be real…I need a tacky, plastic, waterproof strap to keep those things on the majority of the time…the harder they are to get off the better!) Many times, I walk through life, looking down, viewing my circumstances through my fleshly viewpoint, not seeing a way out of them, thinking they are too hard to overcome, losing hope, and becoming discouraged…when all the while the Lord is telling me to look up (at Him) and look around (blessings He has given me) remembering that He is working (Romans 8:28), that His ways are higher (Isaiah 55:9) and that ALL He does is done out of love for me (1 John 4:8). I am reminded to focus on the blessings in my life and honestly most of the time it takes putting on my Jesus Goggles to see those blessings around me. But every time I look up (at Him) and look around (blessings He has given me), I find Jesus there in the midst, reassuring me that He is with me, that He is working things out for my good and that these afflictions are momentary!
“Our light afflictions, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” 2 Corinthians 4:17
Singleness, career change, financial struggles, family situations, death, illness, broken relationships, negative attitude—whatever “light afflictions” we face, the Lord is near asking us to trust His perspective and to rely on Him for the strength to overcome these difficult circumstances.
From HIS perspective, every event has a purpose that fits perfectly into His plan. When we have God’s viewpoint, we will be able to face our circumstances with the confidence that He will see us through our difficulty. –Charles Stanley
Today my prayer for myself and for you is that we will each ask the Lord to give us His viewpoint. That as we face the circumstances that are thrown at us, we will do so with confidence that He will be with us through each difficulty. And that we will take the time throughout the day to look up, focusing on His love for us and look around—looking for where the Lord is working in and around us. Because He is. It’s a promise!
