Di Bassinga Diaries: Perspective

We live in a world that's riddled with 30-second clips, ultra-loud opinions, and imperfections so deep that solving anything feels like a pointless aim. We're led to believe that America is divided at its core, that our opinions have to sit on one side of the aisle or the other, and that standing firm in faith is a recipe for immenent destruction. We cling to the things that seem to be good or that feel familiar and comfortable, and we put God on a back-burner or push Him further down the queue. Much of this is done subconsciously–we might watch for it at first, but over time many of us grow to be a bit complacent. We get used to God, our awe and fear disappear, and we take Him for granted.

I'm not here to attack anyone, there's encouragement coming, and I'm right in line with you. But we have to call out what's happening under the surface if we wish to move forward properly; this is apart of what happens when our faith is tested. The truth is God is the Creator of the universe, He's the Source of wisdom and knowledge and life. Apart from Him nothing meaningful is accomplished, and with Him we're promised persecution and difficulty–but we're also promised a reward down the (seemingly long) road. On the surface this looks scary, but most of us neglect to look deeper or to expand our perspective to see what's really happening. I can't claim to see the full picture, but I know for certain that God does; He's the one writing the story, and the Bible is a glimpse at that story. It's our guide as we navigate a world that's fallen short of what it was inteneded to be–and a world that's heading toward a Day where it'll be restored. Fun, right?

The believer in Christ is inherently aware of some of this. Part of a profession of faith in Christ, below the surface, is admitting that there are things in this world that aren't in our line of view and are out of our control. This is easy to admit when things are going well. Without anything immediately threatening us, it's easy to sing praises to God. "Of course He's good! Look at all that He's given me!" I think it might be good, just for a moment, to consider that God deserves praise on the other side of the coin too. Not so much on the "Of course He's good! Look at all that He's taken from me!" front, though there's value there too, but looking even deeper at the reality that none of us deserves the breath we breathe. "There is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." This is the idea underlying my thoughts here. So without further adieu...

When Your Faith is Tested, Look Up

“Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.” (James 1:9-11)

James goes on to give a bit of encouragement to one group and a strong gut check to another. To the lowly, the poor and ignored, he says "boast in exaltation." To the rich, those with much provision and many reasons to boast, he says "boast in humiliation." On first look, this might feel like a random way to continue the letter, but after taking a moment to sit with it, it seems clear that James is attacking our perspective. I believe he's more worried about our spiritual status than our financial status ("Let the humble..." and "...the prideful..." might be more accurate, or at least paint a clearer picture). When things are falling apart, when looking ahead at the reward and looking back at God's previous victories haven't done the trick, we're encouraged to look in one more direction: up.

Why is perspective important? Long story short, it provides a foundation for gratitude and endurance. Our aim falls short of what it should be if we're not looking through the proper lens. It's like comparing a multiple choice math test to applied physics. Say the question is "what is 10/3?" and the options are "3," "3.5," and "3.3." If you're just looking for an answer that's "good enough," then you've got your answer: 3.3. If you're building a rocket ship or a race car, though, the difference between 3.3 and 3.33 or 3.333 (and that can literally go on forever) might just be winning or losing, but it could also be life or death. Sometimes, the error isn't even in the value, but in the context of the value (Google: "Mars Climate Orbiter").

Once you've confessed faith in Christ, you've secured your spot in Heaven; the Holy Spirit is at work within you, sanctifying you and guiding you. That, on its own, is absolutely good enough if we're looking at a multiple choice test–and we often are. But a lot of us are suffering much more than we need to, and the problem is often that our perspective is too narrow. We're not just called to accept Christ then go on living, we're called to live a completely new life. This doesn't always mean changing physical and material circumstances, but it does mean changing the way we view the world, and responding to that new view as properly as we can–essentially, we're called to operate in faithful obedience; at all times, yes, but especially when we're tested. Think Abraham, Moses, and David.

The stories and words of these men are meant to draw our eyes to what's really at stake. We might get by with "doing right" every once in a while or even most of the time; but these men lost a lot along the way because of their lapses in judgement. Abraham had a son banished, Moses missed out on the Promised Land, and David lost a child. These aren't shared to make us feel better about our own sins, but to remind us that there are indeed consequences to sin–they're warnings.

These men are remembered for their faith, and rightfully so: Abraham is the patriarch of a Promise, Moses had the Law named after him, David a lineage–these all because of their faith when tested on the biggest stages or under the hottest of flames. They weren't perfect, but they had a relationship with God that pulled their minds back to eternity after they'd fallen. This duality is apart of life as a Christian on earth, and this is what James is speaking to in his letter. We've each had moments of humility and moments of pride, but we're defined by our commitment to the process of sanctification, especially when we're isolated and tested, and our strength in this process comes from a proper perspective.

When "everything" is taken from you, your true faith is revealed. Let is be found that your faith is in God and you'll stand to the end of the test. If it's found in anything else, you'll fall once that thing is taken, whatever idol is actually in the highest place in your heart. "Look up" might be a bit vague an appeal. You could look up at the sky and maybe find some clouds or some stars or the sun. Instead, what I mean is, wherever you are right now and in every "right now," take the focus off of yourself and put it back on God and others. Self-obsession is much sneakier than you think, and it's a dangerous place to be because you don't just exist, you exist in the context of others and in the story that God has been writing since before time.

Remember Eternity

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end." (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

That phrase, "remember eternity," has been high on my list of recent reminders. We're not living for this time on earth, it's not the end-all-be-all. We're here for a time, but there's the reality of life after death to be mindful of too. That's the whole point of Christ's sacrifice, of the teachings of the Bible, and of the Great Commission. We're meant to draw our attention and the attention of those around us back to God and back to eternity. This is difficult, eternity is a lot longer than 80 years–and 80 years might feel like a really long time. But if we're to respond properly to the tests we face in this life, then we have to be aware that there is indeed a future and a hope.

"We live in a world that's riddled with 30-second clips, ultra-loud opinions, and imperfections so deep that solving anything feels like a pointless aim." This all points to the distractions that present themselves as we try to move forward in faith. Just because we're here for a short time doesn't mean our time here doesn't matter, but we're best served "now" when we understand that there is a "later." We're best served now when we understand that, Legally, we've done nothing to deserve today, tomorrow, or yesterday (James 4:13-17 speaks to this), but still, in love, Christ died for us and saw to the end; the "joy set before Him" was us living with Him for eternity. This is what God wants, it's the point of the Gospel and of our time on earth.

So, again, "count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds," ask the Lord for wisdom and commit to acting on it, and keep your life in proper perspective, stay humble. God is greater than anything and everything else that you could turn to. Remember the reward, remember God's past victories. Testing isn't easy, isolation isn't pleasant, loss isn't fun; but these are all so much better than living life without God or against Him. The Father knows best. Surround yourself with people who know Him, study His Word, and open yourself up to His Spirit. The test won't last forever; life with or without Him will.

Be blessed.