Perspectives

Today we had a time of sharing our testimonies again, and I have to admit that certain testimonies really bore me.  I found myself struggling to pay attention to the lives and stories of my incredible new friends, and I didn't really understand why.  I mean, I love these people, and thoroughly enjoy talking with them about their lives, so why was this morning any different?

I think there could have been a few reasons for it.  For example: some people are just bad at telling stories.  Other times I’m just not in the mood.  But I realized today that it was something else altogether.

Perspective n: view of the relative importance of situations or facts

Perspective.  I can't begin to tell you how much I’ve learned about that word.  Over the past months, I’ve begun to realize that it's one of the most important words in the English language.  One of my heroes said that attitude is everything, and in my experience, perspective has shaped that attitude.  Perspective helps you overcome the horrible situation you are in today.  Perspective helps you let go of control.  Perspective helps you see the beauty in life.

I don't completely grasp the importance of perspective, but I was given a glimpse this morning.  It happened while listening to a testimony that had all the annoyances of a bad story.  I was trying so hard to pay attention, but after about 3 minutes of saying, "I don't really know what to talk about," the leader interrupted and said that testimonies are a time of sharing how God has worked in your life.  She restarted, and explained that she never felt God's presence until just recently.  That's when my thoughts snapped into focus, and I realized that people aren't as concerned about what you did or went through, as they are about how you were redeemed.  I mean, that's what makes any story great: finding yourself at the end of your strength, and being forced to rely on a miracle. And that's what God is all about; redemption. 

I loved realizing that today, because it caused me to reevaluate my perspective.  What do I love about my story?  Do I love presenting myself to the world as a perfect little Christian?  Not really.  It's a lie, and a hard one to maintain for any length of time.  Do I love the attention I get when I do something amazing?  Not really, I can't bear the responsibility of heroism.  Do I love being a success?  No, because sometimes I learn more through my failures.  Instead, I love being able to say that my identity is found in the fact that my Father defeated death to bring me home.  I mean, that's the making of a good story, and I’m excited to share that story with the Philippines.

P.S. We leave for the Philippines tomorrow morning, and will arrive on Friday.  I don't know when I’ll have internet availability, but email me if you would like details on our ministry over there, and I’ll get back to you when I can.  Take care!