It’s All in the Way You Look At It

 

Do you see a chalice in this picture or two faces? It depends on how you look at it.

David, a second-grader, was bumped while getting on the school bus and suffered a two-inch cut on his cheek. At recess, he collided with another boy and lost two teeth. At noon, while sliding on the ice, he fell and broke his wrist. Later at the hospital, his father noticed David was clutching a quarter in his good hand. David said, “I found it on the ground when I fell. This is the first quarter I ever found. This sure is my lucky day.” (1001 Humorous Illustrations)

Given the way our human nature is, I’d say there are few who are like David. It’s easier to look at all the bad things and complain about the way the day went than look at the one good thing that happened. But when our minds are on that one good thing, no matter how small, we can at least deal with all the bad things. It’s a matter of one’s perspective.

Look at it this way: Just over the mountain is a beautiful valley, but you must climb the mountain to see it. How many times do we miss the view on the other side because we’re too worried thinking about the mountain in front of us?

When we look at the good we can take the bad. Climbing the mountain will entail hard work, bucket loads of sweat, and maybe even some slips and falls along the way but if our minds are set on the beauty that lies just over the other side, we can make it with each step of the way.

Each person faces his or her own mountain every day whether it be the mountain of discouragement, stress, depression, fear, loneliness, failure, rejection, and the like. But in spite of all the bad things that can accompany these mountains, Christians have an advantage over those who are not. Christians have the opportunity of seeing the other side before they even get to the top of the mountain. It’s all a matter of faith, and this is something that unbelievers do not have.

Faith helps us to see the one good thing that all the bad things tend to hide from our view. Hebrews 11:1 reads, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen,” (New American Standard Bible, NASB). Our faith lies in the assurance that a time is coming when all things will be made new and all bad things we suffer in this life time will be removed forever, including death (Rev. 21:1-8). If we look at everything this way, we can endure and overcome any mountain we face.

Just read the entire chapter of Hebrews 11 and you will see a whole long list of those who went through bad things yet, through faith, had a vision of the “beautiful valley” that they will see in the due course of time. “And all these having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us, they should not be made perfect,” (vss. 39-40, NASB).

God has promised something beautiful that no one has received as yet. But all those who have received Christ as their Saviour will receive it together one day when he returns to earth. And what is that promise? It’s the promise of receiving eternal life and living forever in the Kingdom of God on earth. Jesus said, “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in him, may have eternal life; and I myself will raise him up on the last day,” John 6:40, NASB). Jesus is referring to the last day of this present age and the commencement of the age to come when all the faithful are resurrected to eternal life at his coming (1 Thess. 4:16-18). At that time the words in the prayer “thy kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10) will come to pass.

When we keep our eyes on these great and wonderful promises in store for us on the other side, the bad things that happen now will only seem like a drop in the bucket. We see things through a distorted mirror now (1 Cor. 13:12) but a time will come when we shall see Jesus in all his glory (1 John 3:2) and things will never be the same again.

In spite of the bumps and bruises and cuts that may come your way, be thankful for the things that matter the most even if it’s only a quarter. Indeed, better things will be coming your way if you have the faith to believe God’s Word. It’s all in the way you look at it.

How we look at life’s situations depends upon how we look to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. With that thought in mind, here’s Hillsong singing, “Look to You.” https://youtu.be/pkfSXEGwt9s

Good News to YOU!
Pastor Michael