Look Up

I'm going to start out today by asking you to please just bear with me on this one. What I'd like to convey would be much easier if I could sit you down in front of me and gesture wildly with my hands. However, that is tough to do over blogspot, so elaborate and wordy descriptions will just have to do. :)

Okay, do me a favor...put your hand up to your head, as if you're doing a military style solute.

Did you do it?

Okay, now, with your hand there, look up (meaning look up with your eyes, don't actually tilt your head upward). In this same position, move your hand up, a centimeter at a time, until you can no longer see your hand. If you're like most people, this will probably be at or near your hair line.

Okay, now, please keep that in mind as we go on today. And, by the by, thanks for being a good sport. :)

When I am looking out, across the metaphoric "landscape" of my life, I tend to look in one of three directions. Please, for the sake of the metaphor, picture this with me in your mind.

Most often, I look exactly where I am. This essentially leaves me looking straight down at my feet. Can you picture it?

Otherwise, I tend to look in two other directions: either straight ahead, or (sometimes) backwards.

So, if you want to win extra "good sport" points today, try these three poses for me, will you?

Try standing up, and with your hair-line salute in place, then look down at your feet, directly at the spot in which you are currently standing. Good.

Now, look straight ahead (keep that hand up there at your hairline!).

Lastly, keep your feet firmly planted and turn over a shoulder (or alternate back and forth looking over both shoulders alternately).

Now, what on earth am I getting at here? Other than the sheer amusement of knowing that at least a couple of you might have actually gone through this "Simon says" for the sake of playing along?

Well, my message today is about perspective. In any of those three positions (looking down at the "right here", looking straight ahead or looking back), I personally find it hard to see very much of the landscape, and that's saying something, because I'm pretty limber and have quite good vision!

If I were to find myself in some completely unrealistic life-situation, where I was in some sort of real danger and needed to be alert, the last thing I'd be likely to do in spend time locked into any one of these three positions. And why not? Because I can't see much! Shoot, per the metaphor, I can't even see my own hand just a few inches above my eyes!

This, I think, is how we tend to live life.

"For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:9 (NLT)

Think about how high above us most of us imagine the heavens to be! God's ways and His thoughts, by account of His own word, are FAR above us! And I can't even see my hand when it's just inches above my brow!

My point is this: I can so easily get stuck in my own point of view. I stand mired in my own tiny view of my own tiny world...and when I do, I can easily be overcome by fear, doubt, overwhelm or worry. And the way I see this playing out internally has a lot to do with the gymnastics of a metaphor I've rolled out here.

When I look down at my feet, focused on the spot in which I find myself right now, I miss a HUGE amount of the view of the world around me. There is so much I don't see, and even more that I simply can't see. Any time, in fact, that we as humans focus our attention in spot, we lose sight (literally) of much more that is around us.

I think back to my silly examples of true physical vision. If I really want to see the wides perspective, you know how I might position myself? I might just lay down, flat on my back, and look up towards the heavens. I like to cover my bases, so I'd probably roll my head around a bit - taking in all I can, but nonetheless. Within the context of simple area, I think this might be how I'd see the most breadth.

So, what's all this to mean? What's the point of all that I'm trying to demonstrate here? Well, I think it's this:

For me, remembering that I can only see a tiny fraction of the whole picture at one time keeps me humble; it helps remind me that there's no need to worry about only the tiny sliver of reality I can see. It also helps me not get "too big for my britches" by reminding me that my Maker in Heaven is the only One with a true point of view. He sees all, knows all and understands all. His ways are not just beyond, but also above my ways. His thoughts are higher than I could ever see...no matter which way I'm facing.

So, rather than strain my neck and end up with all sorts of cramps and aches, I think the best thing for me to do is just lay down on the ground, rest on the earth He made for me relax knowing that He is in charge. There isn't a respite that could be better than resting in His able arms. So, consider forgoing all the acrobatics we seem to love to put ourselves through, and instead, just let your Father do what He does best. We can't see what He does anyway!