Perspectives

I stood in front of a wall with a million tiny pictures spread across my eyesight, each telling a different story. I studied each one confused to the point of a headache how these could relate to each other. A glowing mother nurses her baby in one, a filthy child in a third-world country cries in another. Each picture so different. Some made my heart break and some made my heart flutter with joy. I tried to puzzle them together in my head taking each in a methodical order, only to frustrate myself. What is this supposed to be? I screamed. I don’t understand!

With my nose pressed against the wall I looked back and forth, up and down. Some of the pictures were even too high up for me to see. I’m not the tallest person, you see.  So I stepped back. Even more pictures appeared. What is this? I stamped my foot and balled my fists. I’m tired of trying to figure this out myself!

Then why are you? A voice said. I looked around but saw nothing.

Who said that? Who are you? I demanded.

I’m the Master Painter. I designed this Masterpiece which I call “Life”.

Why did you make it like this? I hate it…a lot! I could make a better painting than you could. Watch me! I whipped out my paintbrush and paint from my pocket and dipped the brush. As I lifted my brush to touch the painting, his invisible hand clutched my wrist. Hey! Let go of me! I fought to break free but his hand was strong so I gave up. What do you want from me?

I want you to take a step back, He said.

I frowned but took a step back. It was getting hard to see the pictures now.

Now another step, He coaxed.

I did. I can’t see the pictures anymore. What are you trying to do?

Stop trying to look at all the small pictures. I want you to focus on the big picture.

I adverted my perspective tried to look at it again. I took a few more steps back. I understood a little more with each step. This is how the pictures fit together! The more steps back I took a man’s face formed. Who is it?

It is my face, Said the Master Painter. By looking at the big picture, you may figured some things out, but other things are still perplexing to you. If you wait and trust in me, I will show you in my time. When you don’t understand, take the time to step back and change your perspective.

How do you need to change your perspective today?

Lies.

          What lies have you been told? It seems to be that these days all continually feel the devil telling me lies about myself and who I am in Christ to me. Continually, over and over again, he pours out these lies until I feel worthless. He tells me I'm "never enough", but also at the same time "too much". Why do we believe these kinds of lies? Inside we know they aren't true, but yet we still wallow in the shame he pours over us. Even when we know what he tells us is a lie, we still wonder, what is the real truth then? These real truths are found in God's word!

            When the devil says "You'll never be good enough for them!" God says, "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness I have drawn you!"(Jeremiah 31:3) When the devil tell us, "you'll never amount to anything beautiful" God says "Listen, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your own people also, and your father’s house; so the King will greatly desire your beauty..."(Psalm 45:11) When we are told, "you're not strong enough" His word says, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Throughout God's word there are so many beautiful truth about who we are. We are not worthless. We are loved and adored by the creator of the universe! Below are just a few verse that exclaim His love for us:

·      "How precious is Your loving-kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings." (Psalm 36:7)

"The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

·        " For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)

"In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John4:9-10)

God loves us Oh so much, He truly does! When will stop believing the lies of the world and believe His truths? We can ALWAYS count on Him. I pray that today we will finally tell the devil “NO!” and start to believe be are cherished by the God over every living thing!

Voice of Truth - Casting Crowns <-----listen to this! :)

Purple - Magestic Beauty

                       Sweet cicadas sing in the tree tops, as the sun makes its last appearance for the day. It sets into the distance and sends bright shades of lavender and indigo throughout the sky. And for a moment, the color purple paints over a once blue sky and sends a spell of beauty throughout the countryside.
                       Purple. Majesty.  Beauty. Royalty. This is what purple is to me, a color full of richness. It colors grapes, butterflies, lilacs and orchids, and occasionally even some dinosaurs (okay that was corny...) But in the end, this color was made for our enjoyment just like the others, maybe even more so. So here as I come to a close of all my rambles about colors, hope you enjoyed it! 

Blue - Our World

                 Imagine with me, our earth, 7,962 miles in diameter, 6,500,000,000,000,000,000,000 (6.5 septillion) tons, and 70% water. This is all too much for our minute minds to understand, and yet for God, the creator of all, this is simple 1+1 math. I just know when I think of our big blue planet, and the the 7 billion people out there, that God, well He must be in the midst of it all.
                 My word, our big blue planet is just a tiny blue dot from far away. Now, I must be honest, out of most the colors out there if I could predict a favorite of God, it is most likely blue. I mean, He painted the water and sky blue, and fish, flowers, and fruits. He must love blue. From the skies high to oceans deep... its all blue.

Green - Nature's Glowth

          Birds chirp, soft winds rustle through high green grasses, sweet smells waver through the air. The air is crisp, the day is fresh, all is peaceful and quiet in the lush meadows. This is my color.

          Wouldn't we just love a day in the green fields of Ireland? I have to honest, I think that green is probably one of God's favorite colors. When we look at the world, we see that the grass, the trees, the flowers, the leaves, fruits, vegetables, iguanas, parrots, there are just so many things that are green and fresh. When I think of green I tend to think of growth. Life. When things are watered and fresh, that's when they're green and full of life. That's the ideal. Yes, the world is typically never ideal, however we always have God to remind us what is.

Yellow - Freedom

                   Its a bright sunny day. On the beach, yellow umbrellas and colored towels are speckled along the coast line. The ocean glimmers in the bright sun and friends run out to play in it's waves. An aroma of coconut oil and sun-tan lotion fills the balmy breeze and the summer air. School's out and there's nothing left to do but lay out in the sun and relax.

                   We are blessed. Here we are, spending our time relaxing in freedom. Nothing's tying us down, no homework, stress, crazy schedules to deal with, its just summer. For me yellow is freedom. Its bright and seems to warm me just by looking at it. Its the summer breeze in my face, the salty sting of the ocean's wave. Its warm yellow, bright and beautiful and everything in between.

Orange - A New Day

          
           On the African horizon the sun starts to rise. All is night and then in a second, a single ray of light is cast forth into the sky. As the sun rises higher, the sky becomes a golden orange, and a new day begins.
           Don't you just love fresh starts and new days? Its like you can begin again. Orange for me represents new beginnings. Its the color seen at every sunrise, in the leaves of autumn trees, or even the stripes of a great tiger. Orange.