Minister's Blog
- Embrace the Middle East
2 days ago - God calls everyone
about 2 months ago - Trip to Israel
5 months ago - Spiritual accompaniment
about 7 months ago - The mountains are calling
9 months ago
A sense of perspective
Two men are on opposite sides of a river.
The first man shouts: “How do I get to the other side?”
The second shouts back: “You are on the other side!”
It’s interesting to think about how our sense of perspective is altered by where we stand and the view that we have. It can be very easy to fall into a rut of always seeing things from the same old point of view, or the same old side of the river bank. Of course, to the person on the opposite bank, you are firmly on the other side to them and they have a totally different perspective on the situation!
I don’t know about you, but I find that it’s sometimes difficult holding on to a sense of perspective just now. There are so many complex issues taking place in our world at the moment, and we can feel powerless and overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the problems facing us. And it’s not just “out there” either. For us in our churches here in Barrhead and Neilston, we are having to think about what a radically different future might look like. It’s all too easy to stay rooted on our side of the river, and continue to see things from the same old perspective. And it can be really difficult to even conceive of crossing over and beginning to form a new vision and perspective. But the reality is that we’re faced with no other choice, and at the very least we have to start wading into the river and try to meet the other person midway across.
In amongst all of the uncertainty and confusion of life just now, it’s worth trying to catch a glimpse of God’s utterly different perspective on the world. We can get sucked into thinking that our current problems are way greater than any that the world has ever faced. But every generation throughout history faces their own unique set of crises and difficulties. It can reassure us to take just the smallest step back from our problems, and remember that our eternal God holds a far bigger picture in mind.
“Therefore we do not lose heart… For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).