Tag: perspective

New Journal

perspective, GodI had just started writing in a new journal. This one had been chosen for the inspiring words on the cover. Inside the journal were designs or words bordering some pages. When I reached one of the pages I was having difficulty figuring out what something said. It was all in capital letters and looked like IM A GINE. That made no sense to me, what did im a gine mean? Perhaps it was I’M and not IM. After several minutes of trying to figure it out, I turned back to the cover, hoping for enlightenment. What I saw there caused me to burst into laughter. It wasn’t three words, but a single word – IMAGINE. With the stylized writing I had put spaces where there were none. Now that I knew what it was supposed to say, it was easy to see it. I did find it rather ironic that I didn’t have the imagination to see the word imagine! It was all a matter of perspective.

This caused me to wonder how many times I have misinterpreted something because my perspective was wrong. In over thinking I tend to make things far more complicated than they actually are.

The lesson here is that I can work and struggle and not get the desired results. When I focus too hard, I lose my perspective. What is needed is for me to relax and realize that I don’t have to do everything on my own. When I call out to God, he will either equip me or send someone to walk along side of me to help. His perspective is always the right one.

[The Lord says,] “I will instruct you. I will teach you the way that you should go. I will advise you as my eyes watch over you.” Psalm 25:4,5 GWT

Hitting the Wall

prayer, freedom, God
image from canstockphoto.com
One morning recently, we had many more people than usual in the aqua fit class I attend. This meant that space was at a premium and care had to be taken not to bump the people around me. During one exercise, someone got too close to the edge of the pool and told me that she had just hit the wall. Saying that I’ve done that too, we changed our positions slightly so it wouldn’t happen again.

Hitting the wall has been more than a physical experience in my life. There have been times when, despite my best efforts, I can’t seem to move forward. Other times I have become tired or overwhelmed and don’t have the strength to move at all. In these circumstances I feel that I have hit the wall. Looking at the lesson learned in the pool, I wonder if my problem was that I just kept doing the same thing over and over hoping for different results. Maybe all that was needed was for me to change my position, to do something differently.

On my own I can easily reach the end of my limits. I get to the point where I can’t see any other options. Prayer and spending time with God puts things back into perspective. He enables me to see things in a new light and gives me the freedom to move forward again. When he guides me there is no wall to stand in my way.

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17 NIV

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