Perspective Shift

There are some people in my life whose perspectives shift at the drop of a hat.  They are sold out on one set of beliefs, and can defend it intelligently and legitimately, but a few months later can be in a total opposite point of view, defending it with the same amount of passion!  While they might justify it by saying they are “open-minded,” there comes a point when it is simply “wishy-washy-ness.”

In our country, being “open-minded” and having a new perspective is the thing to do; being close-minded is backwards and offensive.  I agree wholeheartedly with this.  However, I think we can only experience a true “perspective shift” when we seek God.

Reality Redefined

Someone once said, “Every time we enter the presence of God, it redefines our reality.”  When sin entered the world, reality itself was distorted (Gen. 3:17).  But even though the world was stained with sin, we still have a longing to experience this “perspective shift.”  It’s just a part of the human psyche.  We need to advance.  We need to evolve.  We need to progress.

The problem is when we spend too much time doing this away from God, we begin to adopt a distorted view of reality.  We begin to focus too much on the things that don’t matter as much.  We become obsessed with beating each other down, rather than building each other up.

G Presence = R Perspective

This is what we need to get into our heads: The presence of God = perspective shift.  A true open-mindedness will come when we experience the presence of God.  He will redefine our reality, bring us back to see the world as He sees it; a world in desperate need of a Savior.  The only one who can bring restoration to this broken world is Jesus!

Think of it this way:

Us – G(od’s) presence = W(rong) perspective

Us + G(od’s) presence = R(ight) perspective

Perspective Shift

Psalm 73 is a perfect example of this perspective shift.  Written by Asaph (essentially the worship pastor during David’s rule as king), he cries out to God because he sees the wicked triumphing.  After experiencing the presence of God though, Asaph had a perspective shift (Ps. 73:17).  Instead of focusing on the bad, his focus was redirected towards God.  Instead of beating down other people, he focused on God’s love and provision.

“But as for me, how good it is to be near God!  I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do,” (Ps. 73:28, NLT).

If you haven’t spent any time with God lately, or have allowed yourself to slip into routine and normalcy, ask and allow God to give you a perspective shift!

Remember:

Us + G presence = R perspective.