Wednesday, May 11, 2011

It all depends






I was coming home from choir practice tonight and stopped at the grocery store, then the pharmacy. Upon leaving the grocery store I saw the sky, looking like hail clouds. Beautiful, but ominous. I headed for the pharmacy off the next freeway exit. I noticed the sky was losing the dangerous look and becoming an awesome sunset. This was after a day of high winds and repeated heavy rains.

When I got close to the pharmacy I took a turn off to look back at the western sky. This is a road I have traveled hundreds of times, mind you, but I never saw this pond from this direction at sunset. It looks like lowland swamp with apartments at its edge looking from the freeway to the east. IT ALL DEPENDS on your perspective if something looks messy, hopeless, scary, or beautiful, peaceful, and hopeful.

My perspective at the grocery store told me the sky was possibly dangerous. My perspective on the other side of the pond gave me a wonderful new place to watch the Texas sunsets reflected in water. God had me in a position to discover something wonderful right under my nose. It would not have been a road I would have taken in the day, but the beauty of the sunset made me take the first available turnout to see it before the color faded. A single tree in the pharmacy parking lot offered a wonderful focal point to be framed by the coral painted sky.

Our perspective, staring at scary clouds and the underside of the tapestry of our struggles looks pretty messy. But on God's side looking down, the stitches are being woven together to make us beautiful. He has a future and a hope for each of us. We can depend on God's power to transform us not on our plan, but His.

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Paul encourages in Ephesians 6:10:
Last of all I want to remind you that your strength must come from the Lord's mighty power within you.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm not sure my recent post went through, so will tell you once again - Thank you for your lesson on perspective. Things can look so ominous at times, and my tendency is to think they are staying that way. I need to stay positive and remember that God changes things around very fast, just as he did when you got to the pond.

Connie said...

Yes, Liz! In an instant things can change. No matter what, if we remember we are not alone in the journey and where we are going after our earthly body is dust again, it is all good!