Perspective

Note: This is a re-run of a old Facebook post. I ran across it this morning, and during this season of graduation, "empty nesting" and other life changes, it's more true than ever. - JAG

PERSPECTIVE

After far too much time spent battling "the system" (mortgage companies, government and social service agencies and the like) trying to hold on to our home, obtain assistance for the daily battle against ALS and all the worldly junk that goes with it, I took some much needed time last week to pray and meditate. Truth be told, I've been so mired in crunching numbers and filling out forms that my daily routine of prayer and devotional reading had been put on a shelf. Last Friday morning, I read this passage from Philippians:

" I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith." (Philippians 3:7-9 NLT)

I've known the value of perspective for some time now. It was a lesson I learned too late  my working life. I'm convinced that my professional and family life would have benefitted greatly from having had different priorities. Nothing I can do about that now.

For the present, I think I've re-calibrated the "Perspective Meter" and am back in a more balanced rhythm. It is amazing, however, to see how easily the world can suck you in and throw you off track. In just the past week since I've shifted gears, Linda and I have seen God's handiwork become evident in some unexpected blessings and a freshening of our spirits. I wish there was some way to distill the lesson on perspective I've learned over 56 years to transfer it effectively to younger people. It's a lesson that comes from the realization that your earthly days are truly limited - that the sand in our individual hourglass will indeed run out. For that matter, I wish I could transfer that lesson effectively to many of my contemporaries. I was Skyping with a former client in the UK last month. He lost his wife to cancer a few years ago. We touched on the subject of perspective and he shared a simple list he had given his younger brother not long after his wife's passing:

God
Family
Charity/Helping others
Nothing else matters

Amen.