Perspective

Who has seen a toddler fall down and then immediately look at their mom? Most of the time, the kid is perfectly fine but if their mom reacts, we are going to be hearing some screaming. Why would the kid scream if they aren’t really hurt? Perspective. Mom thought it was bad enough to react, so they are going to react. If mom is scared, they should be scared! Our perspective depends on who we are looking to for guidance. 

As I taught the Bible, many times my central ideas were about attitudes and perspectives.  That was true because those two things can be the most important things in your life.  Your perspective can change your day, your month, or your year. The definition of perspective is a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; or a way of understanding things. The perspective you have on any given situation can make it the worst thing that has ever happened to you or it can just be something else you have to go through. 

Before I knew Jesus, my focus was on myself therefore my perspective was very selfish. I thought everything was about me and I tended to focus on the bad things in my life because I didn’t like them. Having Jesus in my life changed my perspective to be more like His because I looked toward Him for everything. As I looked toward Him, I saw how He felt about certain situations. Jesus’ perspective is eternal, based on not only eternal values but focused on the Eternal Father. When you know Jesus, nothing is as bad as the world seems to think it is because every single thing in the world is temporary. Our life with Jesus is eternal. 

In the bible, we see many instances of Jesus’ eternal perspective. Human perspective told us the Pharisees were the most righteous men alive. Jesus’ eternal perspective told Him the Pharisees were nothing but whitewashed tombs rotting on the inside. Human perspective told us children were not worthy of Jesus’ time and attention. Jesus’ perspective was that we all need to be like children, and each and every child is precious to Him. 

We see Jesus’ true eternal perspective in the Garden of Gethsemane, before He was arrested. Matthew 26:28, Jesus said to the disciples, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

Jesus did not want to be tortured and killed on a cross. However, Jesus’ perspective was on eternal facts and the eternal salvation of His people and not the horrible situation He faced within hours. Jesus had a lot of things on his heart and mind, but obedience to His Father was His first and foremost thought.  

Jesus’ issues that He knew as He went toward the cross. 

1. He was going to be humiliated and tortured for being the Son of God. 
2. Jesus had to put onto himself others’ sins, which caused His father to turn away and Jesus was completely and utterly alone for the first time ever. 
3. Jesus was going to die on the cross to atone for any and every sin ever committed by His people. 

What did Jesus do with these problems? He asked His father to take them away. This is what we all do every time we have problems and issues. We never want hardship or suffering in our lives. We want God to take those things away and just leave us with happy sunny days. But unlike us, God is not as concerned with our happiness, as He is concerned with our eternal life. Jesus obeyed because He knew that His sacrifice as the perfect sinless lamb of God was the only way for His people to be with Him in eternity. 

In the book of Hebrews, we learn more about Jesus’ perspective as He faced the cross.  Hebrews 12:1-2, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God

-Jesus considered His torture and death as joy because of the eternal value of His sacrifice although He certainly did not enjoy it. 

-Jesus endured the pain and shame of the cross willingly to obey His Father, God Almighty

-Jesus’ sacrifice was accepted and honored by God including His perspective about it and He was put in the highest position in Heaven 

If Jesus were just a man He could have just said no to sacrificing everything for us. Jesus could have gotten angry and left the garden and God the Father behind for a new life never thinking about it again. Jesus could have done many things differently if he had been only human. Fortunately for us, He was not only 100%  human but also 100% God, notably our Savior. Jesus’ perspective for what he would endure was dependent on who He was looking toward for guidance. So who was He looking toward? God

My Issues as of Right Now, October 16, 2024

-The ministry that God called me to for 20 years is over. I could look on this as God gave me cancer which drove me away from the ministry I LOVED. I could see a loss that God forced on me that I don’t appreciate and don’t want. I could be angry and longing for what I had. Instead I’m grateful for the rest from a job where I was starting to be burned out. I am happy that I can keep up with the wonderful women I met at Bible study. I am standing in the amazement that God used ME to teach women about Him for so long. I am also thankful God is using me through my cancer to touch people through His word. 

–My youngest is now in college in Boone, three hours away. I could be sad because she isn’t with me anymore. I could be frustrated that she is not close. I could focus on everything we used to do. Instead, I am focused on the opportunity given to me by God to watch Virginia come into her own. I am content to know she is exactly where she needs to be to thrive. My perspective is happiness that she is in HER happy place doing things she has always wanted to do. I am glad she is away from home, although my heart breaks each time she leaves to go back to App State. 

–I have a very bad form of breast cancer that just may kill me. My perspective says, it is ok, it is what it is. I’ve been through much worse than this! I almost didn’t have children. I almost died after my eldest was born. One of my daughters almost died from an illness no one could diagnose or understand. Either one of my daughters could have gone through situations as teenagers that would have traumatized them for years. Any of those things could have possibly broken me or caused me to turn away from God or what He wanted me to do. Praise God, He had me focused on learning more about Him during those difficult times and He grew my faith through trusting Him. Cancer is never going to be the thing that breaks me because I want my perspective to be like the perspective Jesus showed during His life. Cancer is just something I have to go through to get to the next step. Whatever that next step will be.  It is just another thing.

The only thing about cancer that concerns me at all is that my family will be heartbroken if I die in the next few years from it. If I ever think about this, I remind myself, God has promised me over and over that He has my family in the palm of His hand. He has all of His children in the palm of His hand. HE HAS MY CHILDREN. I do not. I cannot change one experience for them or one hair on their heads. Why should I worry?  Cancer is just one more thing that happens in this fallen world where we live now. My perspective is on the eternal life I have in Christ. 

Remember that toddler who wasn’t sure if he should cry when he fell down? To get his perspective on the situation, he looked to the most important person in his life, his mom. Who are you looking toward as the most important person in your life? Is that who you are getting your perspective from in this world? Our perspective depends on who we are looking toward for guidance, make sure that person is Jesus Christ.

Challenge:

– Is my perspective focused on eternal issues or fleeting issues of this world?

-What or whom am I trusting in? God Almighty the Creator of the Universe or something in this temporary world?

-Is my attitude like Christ’s? Willing to obey his father unto death without complaint for the joy set before Him?

With much love in Christ,

Laura Pope