We woke up today to freezing rain. It was coming from the east, so the windows at the front of the house were completely covered in ice. You couldn’t see a thing that was happening out in the street.
The view out the back, however, on the west side of the house was as clear as ever, and the scene was dominated by beautiful ice-covered branches and icicles hanging down from rooflines.
Guess which view we preferred?
The interesting thing is that what is really outside lies somewhere between ice-covered and winter-fairyland. It’s slippery, yes, but not as bad as the front window tells us. Nor is it as dreamy as the back window speaks, for the road and walkways are perilously slippery…
It makes you think.
In life, there are two sides to every story. The side we tend to accept as truth is usually the one we are experiencing; while the other side is seen as just plain wrong. Just because we are the closest to it doesn’t make it right (or wrong!), however. In most cases, the truth lies somewhere in the middle, and it is only God who sees the real picture.
Let’s take, for example, a job offer. Let’s say you were just offered the dream job, complete with an excellent benefits and vacation package, salary in the 6-digits, a company car and expense account, etc. The view from your window looks excellent. It looks, in fact, a bit surreal. Your wife threatens to leave you, however. She fears you will never be home, and she’s a bit concerned about the young, pretty female assistant who will be at your side at all times. From God’s view, things may not look as bad as your wife fears, but He does know that this “dream” job will keep you from your family who need you. He also sees that it might entice you towards materialism and tempt you to make a little “god” out of your career.
Which way is the right way to look at this? Take a look at Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (ESV). God knows, and His way is always to give us a future and a hope!
Of course, this also applies to conflict. If you are in conflict with someone, more than likely you see your part in the conflict as being minimal, while the main bulk of the fault lies in the other person. It is human to see things this way! The only problem is, the other person sees it in an opposite fashion, with the bulk of the fault lying in…you!
Jesus gives us an interesting solution to this kind of an “ice-storm”. He says, “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.” (Matt. 5:23-24 NLT). Notice here that Jesus is referring to someone having something against you. More than likely in this scenario you see yourself as relatively innocent. Yet Jesus tells you to leave your sacrifice at the alter and go and be reconciled! You may not even see yourself at fault, yet the responsibility is on you to reconcile! Why is this? Because the other person sees you as bearing the bulk of the fault, and only when you humble yourself before them will they be willing to forgive and reconcile!
Let’s take illness for a final example. If it’s happening to you, the view on the world is pretty ice-covered, and you may try to find a different, more beautiful view, but there simply isn’t one. All the windows are pretty frosty! From God’s view, however, He knows that He has the remedy, and He is prepared to carry you through the hard times! Doesn’t the Bible tell us, “Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all His benefits; Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases…” (Psalms 103:2-3 NKJV)?
How much better off we would be to view everything in life from God’s window! Even when that window looks a bit “frosted-over”! His view is always correct. The Bible tells us, “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.” (1 Cor. 13: 12 NLT). In other words, the window we look at life through, no matter how ugly or clear that view may seem, isn’t giving us the true life-picture. It isn’t possible for us here on Earth to see with perfect clarity, because the Bible teaches that “then” we will see with perfect clarity, “then” I will know everything completely.
So what do we do?
We can’t afford to take anything at face value. In everything, we must seek the view through God’s window. We won’t see it clearly, but we can put our trust in our God who does see clearly! When we do, healing becomes ours. When we do, God’s wisdom stops us from bad decisions. When we do, conflict can be resolved.
Anybody want to drive down our roads this morning? Don’t trust the view out the window. Instead, slap on a pair of ice skates before you step out!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author — “Aboard God’s Train — A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer”, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, andScriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, withAnswers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.