And it is up to us whether our perspective helps a situation or hinders it.
“The right perspective has a strange way of cutting obstacles and adversity down to size.”[1]
When we are standing in the middle of a situation often times it is difficult to see a way out of it. It is as if we become “stuck.” Maybe it is because we’ve seen all that there is to see. We’ve analyzed all pathways in the situation and there are no more viable options at our disposal.
Obstacles elicit different responses from us. Fear. Frustration. Confusion. Hopelessness. Helplessness. Depression. Anger.
However, if we take whatever situation we are in, break it apart, and look at it from different angles then it will lose power over us.
We are sometimes scared of our obstacles because of our perspective of them. Greek philosophy understood that we often choose the ominous explanation over the simple one. We look at things in isolation rather than a bigger picture.
As followers of Christ we have an opportunity to look at them from a bigger perspective. That’s the beautiful thing about this verse from Romans that tells us of God’s amazing, unconditional love.
We can stare death straight in the face and know that it is not the ultimate victor!
We can know that whatever life brings, we can walk THROUGH it and not be alone.
The demons that haunt our lives can be exposed to light and no longer have power over us.
Angels surround us more than we realize, we just need to pay attention.
The present will not be the last thing.
The future doesn’t need to consume our worries, we should live in the now.
And neither heights nor depths will separate us . . .
From the love of God through Christ Jesus our Lord.
What can you change your perspective on today?
[1] Holiday, Ryan. The obstacle is the way: the ancient art of turning adversity to advantage. Profile Books, 2015.