I left my home country for the first time October 1st and haven’t returned since. Since then you have heard of the many different countries my team and I have lived in since then.
The first life lesson that God taught me was the hardest. That I am not a citizen of any place here on earth. My culture is defined by something much more powerful and substantial than any culture that exists on our planet.
“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” -Philippians 3:20 NIV
After living in a variety of different cultures, I have begun to realize a gift that God was giving me, a widened PERSPECTIVE or what some would call a new world view.
This is like the shade of glasses by which you see the world. If you wear green glasses you will see everything has a tint of Green. If you wear your cultures glasses, you will mostly see what the culture around you sees.
What God wants to do is turn those shades into glasses correcting our vision to His perspective. So that we not only see everything in it’s proper color, but very clearly. This is only possible by His gift of perspective. No matter how hard I try, I am not capable of observing the whole picture, only God can.
So with His help we can see what’s in front of us through His eyes of grace and love. And we will respond to the world accordingly. How He sees sinners, how He sees the self-righteous, and most importantly, how we see ourselves.
Things like racism, self-righteousness, being judgemental or unforgivness are all shades of glassed because people have not allowed our creator change thier perscription (perspective).
Here is what Jesus has to say about this:
“How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” -Luke 6:42 NIV
Sometimes our shaded lens is a plank in our eye. People get stuck on the beginning of this verse saying, “don’t judge!” is the message. That isn’t true! The whole message says that you remove YOUR plank SO THAT you can see clearly to perform delicate surgery on your brother.
I personally have realized how easily we become oblivious to our plank because it’s always been there. I know I was. That is why God pulled me out of nearly all that was “normal” and familiar and only He has remained the same since.
Now you may be thinking, “not everyone can go on the World Race” and you are right. It is not meant for everyone, but the God on the World Race and the God in your life right now is EXACTLY the same. He holds the power to shape your mind and perspective to His no matter what your life looks like.
All you have to do is ask.
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” -Romans 12:2 NIV
So seek out the Lord for His eyes to see. Seek His gift understanding. You will not regret it!
Yours in Christ,
Andy
