perspective (and thanks)
Recently, I noticed that my iPod battery was losing charge far more quickly than it used to. I once was able to leave it in sleep mode for several days without the battery draining entirely, but during the past couple months I found that whenever I went to go for a run, the battery was dead. I complained about this to the husband, who started poking around with it and decided to charge it fully, then leave it untouched and see how long the battery took to drain. A couple days later I picked it up to test it and discovered that he had somehow turned it off all the way. Lo and behold, the battery was still fully charged.
The kicker is that before the hubby figured this out, I hadn't even known the silly thing could be turned off all the way. What makes perfect sense to me now simply didn't occur to me previously because I was operating within an entirely different context. I hadn't ever figured out how to turn it off all the way, and it didn't seem to need to be turned off all the way, so I simply assumed it didn't turn off all the way. Geoff began his investigation within an entirely different context; he didn't "know" that sleep was "off," so he poked around and figured out how to shut it down entirely.
Perspective.
How often do we take our context -- our perspective -- and apply it as truth? We see the world as it appears to us and we assume that what we see is The World. Paul reminds us of our frailty in this regard:
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as if I have been fully known.--1 Corinthians 13:12
We do not have the gift of omniscience. There is a greater reality than we can understand. For me, that is a comforting thought. My own world can seem so frustrating and so limiting. I don't understand the fullness of what God has in store for me. I worry, based upon what I can see, that there might not be a plan in store for me.
My vision is not God's vision. I cannot come to conclusions based upon what I see. How do I -- how do we -- cope in the meantime?
And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.--1 Corinthians 13:13
Living in faith, living in hope, and above all, living in love... this is the only way through. I am thankful for a God who commands us to love each other. In the fullness of a life lived in love, the rest will become clear. I have to trust in this.
Also, for some fun thanks-giving photos, see my other blog here!
The kicker is that before the hubby figured this out, I hadn't even known the silly thing could be turned off all the way. What makes perfect sense to me now simply didn't occur to me previously because I was operating within an entirely different context. I hadn't ever figured out how to turn it off all the way, and it didn't seem to need to be turned off all the way, so I simply assumed it didn't turn off all the way. Geoff began his investigation within an entirely different context; he didn't "know" that sleep was "off," so he poked around and figured out how to shut it down entirely.
Perspective.
How often do we take our context -- our perspective -- and apply it as truth? We see the world as it appears to us and we assume that what we see is The World. Paul reminds us of our frailty in this regard:
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as if I have been fully known.--1 Corinthians 13:12
We do not have the gift of omniscience. There is a greater reality than we can understand. For me, that is a comforting thought. My own world can seem so frustrating and so limiting. I don't understand the fullness of what God has in store for me. I worry, based upon what I can see, that there might not be a plan in store for me.
My vision is not God's vision. I cannot come to conclusions based upon what I see. How do I -- how do we -- cope in the meantime?
And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.--1 Corinthians 13:13
Living in faith, living in hope, and above all, living in love... this is the only way through. I am thankful for a God who commands us to love each other. In the fullness of a life lived in love, the rest will become clear. I have to trust in this.
Also, for some fun thanks-giving photos, see my other blog here!
Thank you for reminding me of the importance of loving - even when situations and circumstances are tough. It comforts me to know that I only see in part - but that God sees the whole. Great post Laura and enjoy your runs with an ipod that lasts a long time now!! :)
ReplyDeleteJO