A bit of Perspective

Distractions are.....well, distracting. 

And they seem to come at us from all directions. How easily do our thoughts get "detoured" away from Jesus? 

Sometimes distractions come in the small form of a "bad morning". 

...You slept through your alarm clock and are running late for an event. You don't have time for your morning devotions or coffee (let alone breakfast) and you realize that the load of laundry that contained what you were planning on wearing never got put in the dryer. 

(if you happen to live on a farm)..... The goat got loose and the dog is chasing her around the yard. You can't catch either of them. Its pouring rain and you slip and fall in the mud. You knock over the milk pail or grain bucket and it seems like EVERY single animal is out of water on the one day that you are running late. 

Any of this sound familiar? Maybe slightly.

You start off the day on the wrong foot and because of your bad mood you don't really feel like talking to Jesus. Things go downhill from there. Because you aren't in tune with the Lord at the moment, it's easy for your mind to wander, worry and stumble its way through the day. What happened to letting Jesus lead? Oops. Left him at home with the laundry that never got put in the dryer. 

What is wrong with us? Did we forget that circumstances do not have to control our relationship with Christ? That God has our day planned out from step one and that no matter how hard we try we CAN'T mess up his plans? Sorry guys, we aren't big enough for that. It's like an ant trying to mess up the plans of an eighteen wheeler. The only thing that gets messed up is the ant.

We can't control our circumstances, but we can control how we handle them. Have you ever seen someone going through a really tough time, and praising Jesus with a passion so strong that you wonder what's wrong with you, instead of feeling sorry about what’s wrong for them? I have. And you immediately feel guilty! Here you are, griping about spilling coffee on your jeans and sleeping through your alarm clock, while a brother or sister in Christ is struggling through everyday because of a physical ailment, praising Jesus because of it! 

But maybe you distractions aren't so small, or physical. Maybe you got through the day, did you devotions, laughed at the stupid goat and dog and arrived fashionably late at the event. But because of an area in your life that you won't surrender to Jesus, your spiritual walk is faltering. Jealousy, anger, bitterness, insecurity, loneliness, the special someone you don't have yet. Everyone has a distraction that they struggle with. Most people have different ones than others. 

The devil knows your distraction. He knows how to hit you where it hurts. He tempts you, taunts you, and ultimately, he distracts you. 

It's incredibly easy to lose sight of the big picture! To forget that we are Children of God. To forget that we are in a spiritual battle. To forget that we are going to spend eternity with the King of Kings! Cling to the promises of Jesus! Surrender your weaknesses to Jesus and let Him deal with them. It's painfully hard! I know! But you have to let go. If you don't, Satan has a mighty big foothold in your life. 

Don't  loose your perspective! Remember that the circumstances that you are in or the struggle you are facing is nothing in the shadow of the cross!

Philippians 4:8 

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.