Perspective E-day minus nine

I have a little tax practice. If I heard of local tax practices that were going under, I would have the possibility of two reactions, based on my perspective. I could be afraid that my tax practice would be the next to go under, or I could look forward to increased business due to less competition. I have two brothers in the "struggling" construction industry. Contractors are going belly-up on a semi-regular basis around here. My brothers can see that in two different ways, depending on their perspective. They can assume they’ll go down next, or they can expect a larger slice of the pie to land on their plate.

Just about any statement could be taken at least two different ways, depending on your perspective. Just about any event can engender at least two different responses, depending on your perspective. It isn’t, then, the events themselves that effect us so profoundly; it is our beliefs about those events, or perhaps more importantly, our beliefs about ourselves in relation to those events.

The scenario of Joseph in Egypt is one of the greatest examples you’ll ever find. Based on what I pick up here and there, I have to assume that if the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream hit our national news, we’d immediately go into a deep decline. Stock prices would plummet and the nation would immediately go into a serious financial depression—just on the news that in seven years, we’d have an incredible famine that would last for seven years.

Joseph, however, had a completely different perspective. He had a God-perspective; a power perspective. He didn’t see himself or anyone else as being helpless in the face of pending disaster. He had a solution to the problem.

Noah was another of these guys. He didn’t get depressed at the thought of a flood. He, too, had a God-perspective; a power perspective. So he set about preparing the solution to the problem, as the Lord had told him. This gave him plenty of opportunity to warn the curious and the mockers about what was to come, but their minds were so filled with their every-day darkness that they couldn’t conceive of either the disaster or the solution.

Every day, events happen. How they effect you is going to depend largely on your perspective. Do you consider them to be harmful? Do you consider them to open a door of opportunity for you? Do you see only the problem, or can you see the solution beyond? Can you see from God’s perspective? Are you looking from the position of God’s power, love, and goodness?

What you believe about God, you see—your "faith"—effects more than just your choice to do right or wrong. What you believe about God—and you, in relation to Him—effects how you perceive every event that takes place, every day. We are not here to pass judgment on every event that takes place. We’re here to exercise dominion in the middle of the events.

If this message has been forwarded to you, and you would like to be added to Charissa’s mailing list please send your request to info@charissaschalk.com. Thank you.