For The Joy Set Before Us

Perspective. It changes everything. 

The word is really weighted isn't it? It means so many different things to me. When my daughter refuses to eat her dinner, I give her perspective. I tell her about all the starving children in the world.

When I start to have a bad attitude or complain about something I gain perspective when I remember I have hot water any time I want it and what a luxury that is.

When I feel proud about something in a less then healthy way I can spend five seconds in worship and gain some perspective. For truly I am nothing.

When I feel at the end of myself as a mom, that I just can not change even one more diaper, I can remember that eventually one day my children will be potty trained. For some moms with children who have disabilities they can not say that.

Perspective.

When life seems hopeless....

In my desperation and my lack of perspective He covers me with His love. When all of a sudden I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory and I realize how beautiful His love is. It all fades and time stands still and I remember my race. I remember the path marked out for me.

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV)

Time. Eternity. Perspective

I look down my telescope, through the tunnel of life and out to the other side.

I fix my eyes on Jesus. I see the prize.

¹² Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. ¹³ Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you (Philippians 3:13-15 NASB)

Maybe it's partly the weather, I always get a bit crabby this time of year. The dull gray of daily life. I do not like the cold. I do not like the snow. I do not like the need for heat or electric blankets. I do not particularly enjoy the holiday season all that much. I especially do not like having rowdy children full of energy bouncing off the walls of my house with nowhere to go. I do not like green eggs and ham.

But I recently had the great pleasure of experiencing a divine attitude adjustment. Just as it says in verse 15 above, something in me was revealed. It was ugly. But praise Him for His grace. It is His mercy that exposed my wretchedness and forgave me. I can see clearly, at least for now, the joy that is set before me. Even though all around me is death and cold, and though I can not see it, still my heart believes that there is life. It is just below the surface. It is welling up and I know, will soon burst onto the scene. Take heart, oh my soul. Be glad and rejoice! Do you see it? Do you see the prize? What perspective! Joy to the world! He is coming!

Hulk-Up

Has it really been a week since my last post? Wow that's a first. I've had a bit of writer's block I guess. It's not that there hasn't been anything inspiring going on around me, I've just been overwhelmed lately. I've been brought low in my circumstances and it has been all I can do to encourage myself and walk with the Lord. Guess there hasn't been enough to go around.

Which brings me to my blog post today. I've been a big fat baby. Seriously! I finally woke up out of my daze and realized "Hey! This life, this relationship with God, this hope thing, it's work sometimes!" I gotta get busy.

My thoughts are a bit muddled right now so let me do my best to explain. In many areas of my life, all along the way I've wanted God to be my magic genie and step in, snap His fingers and save the day. You know what? He has saved the day but rarely has it happened like that. It takes work on my part too. When I was in the deepest darkest pit, living fear, He stepped in, scooped me up and brought light to my life. But it was a daily process and took a lot of effort on my part too. Prayer, and lots of it. Trust, by the bucket loads. And now I'm learning about hope.

In my discipleship group hope has been one of the main topics and in the women's retreat I just attended it was the theme. I don't want to go all into that here but the main thing I discovered was that just like everything else, I have to do something. Wallowing in self-pity or self-whatever and crying out "Why God?" isn't enough. I know He hears my cry and He has mercy and favor for me but He's called me to do something too.

The bottom line? Nothing I've gone through is anything compared to what Christ went through for me. It's like He called to me this weekend "Man up girl!" Man up in Him. He's the man. I needed a spiritual "Hulk-up" so to speak.

Hebrews 12 MSG
^1-3Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! 


Discipline is a long distance race. You gotta come prepared and you need "power-ups" a long the way. On your own you'll never make it. His grace is new each day. He gives us daily bread. His love is never ending. Hope in Him, the God of hope. That takes something, it takes action, effort. It means reminding yourself of all He's done, of His promises. It means being thankful. It means filling yourself up with His Word and when you've done all you can do, you stand. Ephesians 6 NASB ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand firm therefore....