Isaiah 55:8 (NIV®)
“‘For my thought are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD.”
I was in another town the other day and noticed a sign. It looked like a picture of an alien. It was ugly and I even said out loud “why would anyone use that logo for their business?” Almost at that same moment I saw that it was not an alien at all. It was an old hound dog. There were so many wrinkles drawn into its face, I couldn’t see the dog. I passed it a few times and almost every time, the first thing I saw was the alien. I had to remind myself to look at it differently so I could see what it really was, just an old dog.
This example represents so many things in our lives. We see things our way and that’s the right way… until we see it differently. Sometimes our natural eyes cannot see what is really before us. We have to make the effort and train ourselves to see things differently. We have to be willing to look at things from a different vantage point if we’re going to see what is really there.
Do we recognize the temporary nature of everything we see? Do we take time to see things as God sees them? Honestly, I’m not sure we will ever be able to see the full picture this side of heaven, but are we willing to try?
Stop and take stock of everything around you. See the eternal waiting in the background. Watch and listen for God’s perspective. It might surprise you. It might overwhelm you as He reveals it to you. Whether it is peace through difficult times, an unexpected joy, or a different viewpoint that brings clarity to a situation; God’s viewpoint is what is real and true. May we see what is really there; for His ways are not ours. Sometimes He lets us see. I’m convinced most of the time we misunderstand or miss it entirely. But sometimes we see just enough to remind us of eternity, to remind us that the Kingdom of God is not of this world, and to remind us to see things as He sees them. When we see His perspective, it makes all the difference in the world.