what do you see: perception or reality by ric Gustafson
Has it happened to you where a life situation completely baffles you. The circumstances appear complex and disturbing. That our world is spinning out of control and we feel as if we are going around in circles.
The story of the prophet Jonah is an example. God told him to go to the city of Nineveh and warn the people of impending judgment. He was terrified and probably viewed the situation as suicide. Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire and known for it's brutality and terrorism. That was Jonah's perception but that wasn't God's reality.
Instead of doing what God told him to do, Jonah fled. He boarded a ship and sailed toward Tarshish. A storm came up. It wasn't the storm but Jonah's sin that was the problem. Jonah ended up overboard and into a belly of a whale. Jonah thought that things could not get any worse but God was giving him another chance.
He was upchucked onto dry land and he went to Nineveh to do what God had commanded him to do. The point of this story is that life's circumstances are different than God's perception of the same situation. When we see obstacles he sees opportunities. When we see predicaments he sees providence. When our wheels are spinning he sees grace.
Proverbs 3: 5-6 says trust in the Lord with all your heart and he shall direct our path. Like Jonah, we need to trust God in every situation.
research help: Turning Points July 2015
Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric
No comments:
Post a Comment