Perspective

It’s interesting, the word perspective. As an architecture student, it has a certain meaning for me. Think of a two-point or three-point perspective drawing. Those kind of drawings allow an object to take on the appearance of an entirely different dimension-going from a flat, two-dimensional object on paper to an object that appears 3-D. Life is brought to the picture and to the object because we are able to identify with it in a different way, because it fits our basic schemas of what we know and interact with everyday in our lives. It becomes vibrant and engaging, and we are drawn to that, wanting to know more about both the piece and the artist. We wonder who the person is that came up with that concept, why is it designed the way it is, what is its function and purpose, along with the aspirations it meets? We want to satisfy our intellect and learn the answer to why we are drawn to such an object. We can’t just simply look at it and walk away without engaging ourselves in thought.

So often we look at people in two dimensions rather than three. We see the lines on the paper, the apparent, flat, ambiguous concept of who they are. I was really convicted of this today as I stood in line at the DMV in San Luis Obispo. I was in line in front of a woman; her name is Cathleen, who really doesn’t have much. Upon first appearance and impression, she looked like someone who is…more of an outcast of sorts, who has difficulty functioning well within society. We started talking and she was telling me first why she was at the DMV and then it led into parts of her life. She owns a motor home—that is her home—and had to get the license renewed. However, she had received tickets for illegal camping of the motor home on public streets, and had been involved in accidents, in addition to failing her driver’s test three times because she had a cataract and couldn’t see well. There was a lot of anger and resentment as she talked about having a home, but not having a home at the same time. I guess the state campgrounds here in CA allow you to stay for no more than 60 days at all combined, and then the county only for 30. So she was saying, what do I do for the other 275 days? Now she’s been parking on streets, thus the tickets. The motor home is her home but she doesn’t have any place to put it. In addition, she has a lot of health problems, and may have some trouble with pain medication, that was the impression I received anyway. She can’t get any more pain medication for her arthritis and cataracts so she’s pretty miserable. Deeply carved into her face, into her eyes, into her posture, were the signs of a woman who strongly resented the world and the pain it had afflicted upon her.

As we talked, it was interesting to note the apparent disgust on the bystanders in line with us. But also as we talked, the more I felt the Holy Spirit calling me to show love to her, to show compassion and understanding. She and I come from two different worlds yet for that 45 minutes we shared, we were able to enter each others and relate to each other in ways I didn’t think possible. It became so evident how she needed someone to listen and show compassion even if I didn’t agree with certain things she said. In that 45 min, my eyes were opened in such a way that I realized how skewed my perception of the world can be at times. It’s so easy to become used to and comfortable to what is familiar around us and ignore the more pressing issues and people that need us just to open our eyes and reach out to them, even if it’s for a brief moment.
I need to be doing that more here on campus, especially in this dorm. God has blessed me abundantly with the relationships I’ve already developed with other brothers and sisters in Christ especially, but there’s so many more that need someone to walk alongside them and show them the deeper love and understanding only Christ can bring. I need to keep my eyes open constantly and my heart willing to serve in any way I can. God has brought me here to Cal Poly for quite a mighty purpose, one I’m still coming to understand, and I must not let my own agenda, such as classes and homework, get in the way. I am here to serve and lead and spread the gospel, walking by faith and in the spirit 24/7. I believe that as I continue to do this God will continue to direct my paths and pour out His blessings abundantly—because God is SO GOOD. Taste and see that the Lord is good. He is.

So in conclusion, what kind of love and understanding are we showing people? Are we giving them the kind of love that is based on a two-dimensional perspective of them, or are we constantly looking beyond the surface, trying to understand who they are, where they come from, and what they need? Where are they going, and how can we direct their paths to Christ? Christ’s love is so three-dimensional, it’s unbelievable. Never will he leave us nor forsake us; He has laid his life down for us, and he calls us to do the same, both for him and for our brethren. In the midst of our faults, our weaknesses, our pride, our sin, He still comes calling through telling us, “I know you don’t deserve it. But I love you anyway, more than you can ever understand.” As Christians, we have the blessing of experiencing that love every moment of every day. Those who don’t know Christ don’t have that privilege, because they don’t know who Christ is and what He’s all about. We must be messengers of love. We must look at people in three dimensions, not two. Engage yourself in the thought and attempt to understand who they are and what they need. Appearances, especially first appearances, are extremely deceiving. Even if you are worlds apart from the other person, you can enter theirs and show them the kind of love and understanding they may have never experienced before. Believe it or not, even 45 min can be a long time…to make a difference in their lives.

Prayer for Wisdom

Taken from Proverbs 2

Lord, let me accept your words and store up your commands within me, turning my ear to wisdom and applying my heart to understanding. I want to look for it as silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, so I will understand the fear of the Lord and find Your knowledge, for you give wisdom and from Your mouth comes knowledge and understanding. You hold victory in store for the upright; You are a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for you guard the course of the just and protect the way of the faithful ones. Then I will understand what is right and just and fair-every good path, for wisdom will enter my heart and knowledge will be pleasant to my soul. Discretion will protect me and understanding will guard me (vs 1-11). Thus, let me walk in the ways of the good men and keep to the paths of the righteous (vs 20).

Homesick

I've been realizing something the past couple of days as I'm away from home at college. Homesickness is pretty common around freshman, as it is the first time we're really away from home for so long. For me personally, I was pretty homesick the first few days, as everything was so new and overwelming; it's hard to take in that much new stuff all at once, away from the security of all of the things you know. I've been reminded of how truly blessed I am with my friends back home, for they truly are the "friends that stick closer than a brother" (proverbs 18:24). It's also the same for my family, because though my parents are my parents, I consider them some of my best friends. It's so easy to take that for granted, and when we're put into a situation that forces us out of our comfort zone, we realize the security we have so completely lost in the absence of our friends and family. You find yourself longing for home, longing for the familiar, longing for the security it provides. You become resistant to the change that is vital to your growth.

But over the past couple of weeks, God has been more than faithful in comforting those feelings. His word became living and breathing, with me finding so much comfort yet conviction in Psalms 15-27. Scriptures such as Psalm 25:1-3: "To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul, in You I trust, O My God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame." Everytime I find myself homesick or resistant to change, I pray the word, and it's amazing the peace that God brings. When we lift up our hearts and soul to Him and say, "I am not enough, I'm too feeble to do this on my own. I lift myself up to You so You can carry me and give me the comfort only You can give," He rewards us and answers that prayer in a powerful way. It brings us to the point of brokenness and humility knowing that apart from the Father, we can do nothing.

There's a strong parallelism to this though. This world is not our real home. One day we will return to our Father in Heaven, which is where our heart and soul should be drawn to. Too often it's easy to remain comfortable in this world and therefore, numb ourselves in a sense, to being convicted by God. We're homesick for our earthly home, when instead, we should be homesick for our Heavenly home. I think a good verse to follow is Romans 12:2: "Do not conform any longer to the patterns 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."

After all, shouldn't that be a driving point in our lives? Because when we walk in HIs paths, all things will fall into place. We are not of this world, we are sons and daughters of the King. And oh, what an amazing thing to be! Shouldn't we long more for our Father and our Heavenly home than for this world?

Quiet Place

Chorus
Go to the quiet place now
Know it is there I can be found
I’m beckoning, calling you
To draw near to me
Let me open your eyes and show you what I see

Lord, you know just what I need
Ever so gently you satisfy
Lord, you know just who I am
And in the depths of my soul I hear you calling

Chorus

Lord, you know just where I am
Ever so surely you lead me where I should be
Lord, you know everything
And in my heartbeat I hear you calling

Chorus 2x

Cast it Down

Cast it down, push it aside
Hear me calling you to push aside your pride
Open your eyes and see that I
Am in control and don’t wonder why

You think you’re strong and mighty
Able to do it all until you fall
And that’s when to me you come calling
Only then do you give me your all

Chorus
Why won’t you hear my words
I know your back is turned
But see how my heart burns
For you, my precious son

Lay your life down at the throne
Hear me calling you back to your heavenly home
Know it is I alone
Who loves you as my own

You think you’re strong and mighty
Able to do it all until you fall
And that’s when to me you come calling
Only then do you give me your all

Chorus
Why won’t you hear my words
I know your back is turned
but see how my heart burns
for you, my precious son

Lay your life down at the throne
Hear me calling you back to your heavenly home
Know it is I alone
Who loves you as my own

Seasons of change

“There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring. Each of these is a particular season bringing change from the previous season. For example, the snow of winter is crucial to the growth and blooming of spring. Fall is a renewal, a protection process in order to prepare for the harshness of winter. Each season is unique, and necessary for the other seasons to flourish as they do.

We go through seasons in our lives too. Yet, rather than seeing it as something worldly, the above verse from Ecclesiastes brought something to mind. God takes us through seasons of His own too. I’m just starting college and the entire thing has brought so much change in my life. I’m extremely excited yet almost resent it at the same time. It’s weird, a paradox of sorts. However, I’m starting to embrace the idea that this is God’s season, not my own.

It seems like whatever season we are in we are always waiting and anticipating the next one to come, rather than embracing the current one and what it brings us. In the harshness of winter (at least in Colorado where I come from), people can’t wait for spring and when it will finally start to be warm. And then when we have May blizzards, people can’t wait for summer when it won’t snow any more. In the heart of summer, people want the crispness of fall. Finally, towards the end of fall, people get antsy for snow and hot chocolate. The cycle constantly continues. We’re extremely impatient people. I’m going to use winter as an example.

Okay-winter. In fall, you look forward to winter. Yet, when you’re in the heart of winter, you wonder why winter is made out to look so good when you’re freezing in the middle of a freak snow storm. “Why does it have to snow now?? Why can’t it be spring and warm?” We fail to understand how vital the snow is to enable spring to flourish as it does. We fail to realize that the snow is a blessing in itself; though we may not want it at the present moment, it is what makes us enjoy spring so much.

So, for our seasons. We go through seasons too, God’s seasons. In each season, He has something so important to teach us. He wants to pour out the nutrients only He can give so we can flourish in the upcoming season. We can’t be so anxious to get to the next season that we miss what He wishes to give us in the present. Because, if we were able to go to the next season and skip the one we want, even still the season wouldn’t be the same. It’s like a layering process. Each season puts on a new layer of experiences, knowledge, etc., and if we skip one, we miss a layer which leaves us more bare for the upcoming season. Therefore, the season we think will be “so much better than anything,” actually won’t be, because we miss that layer. Each season is crucial, and we must not resent it. Embrace it, because God’s plan is so much bigger than ours and is so much better than anything we can do ourselves. So put your trust in Him, knowing that He knows you better than yourself. Embrace the season, the one you are currently in.

Psalm 18-The Avenging, Delighting, and Pursuing Kind of Love We Don’t Know

First off, I know I said I was going to use this for my lyrics. I am! But I'm going to use this for other things as well, such as this entry.


*Psalm 18:17-19: “He rescued me from my powerful enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me. They confronted me in my day of distress, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a wide-open place; He rescued me because He delighted in me.”
*Psalm 18:47: “My God avenges me, He subdues people underneath my feet.”

Our God is a God who AVENGES us. Think about that word. Avenge- it means: to punish for wrongdoing on behalf of someone. Okay, here it is again. Our God is a God who AVENGES us. That is incredibly powerful and profound. No matter where we go, God avenges us because He DELIGHTS in us. Delight-it means: extreme satisfaction.

To the ends of the Earth our God pursues us like a lover. He wants to be wrapped up in every aspect of our lives. We were created in His image, though we’re not worthy of Him at all. His love is the purest of love, because He IS love, and He sets the example in everything. Want to learn more about love? Then look to Christ and let Him teach you. He is the only one who truly can. When people on this Earth fail us, it is then we realize it is their humanity, their inability to love like Christ and receive it in return that is what fails us. It is what brings those arguments, the rumors flying around that we believe, the selfishness not willing to put others first, that causes relationships to fail. It is easy to lose heart, wondering what is wrong with this world. It is because we don’t know how to love like Christ.

And in the darkest of moments when you feel as people have betrayed you, even those you have trusted most, it is then we realize there is a hope greater than we can ever imagine. As I read Psalm 18, I tried to read it as if I were in David’s shoes. David has just escaped the persecution of Saul and delights and praises the Lord because of it. David’s eyes have been opened to the power of God, because it is God who rescues him from his enemies. Because of him striving for righteousness, he sees how God returns it. “To the faithful He shows himself faithful, to the blameless He shows himself blameless, to the pure he shows himself pure” (vs25-26). David has seen how we are created in God’s image, but it is only through Him we can be imitators of Christ. He sees how His God delights in him, loves him so much more than anything that He will avenge him. God fights for David in a way David never thought possible, and because of this, David vows to “praise His name to all of the nations (vs 49), for “who is God except our Lord? And who is the rock except our God? It is God who clothes me with strength and makes my way perfect” (Vs 31-32).

I think that first we need to understand how God pursues us, delights in us, avenges us, before we are able to even come close to succeeding in how we treat people in this world. God has called us to “be imitators of Christ,” and to “love [people] as I have loved you.” But how can we do that before He teaches us what that is, what it involves? And how can we understand that before we know Who He is and what He has done? “For God so loved the world He gave His only Son” (John 3:16). Think about that verse. Throughout the ages He has been pursuing His people with a passion, doing everything He can to bring us back to His love. He delights in us more than we’ll ever comprehend. And through that love, He avenges us, lays down everything for us, because He loves us that much. Nothing we ever go through can keep us from Him because He fights for us. He puts us first because He is love.

We must learn to love in that way. We can’t learn it from anyone except He who is love. Unconditionally He loves us, unselfishly He loves us, and He loves us more than we can ever come close to understanding. Who wouldn’t want to be wrapped up in that love? And the amazing thing is, as Christians, we have both the responsibility and privilege to love in that exact same way. We can love others as Christ loves us. We can be the messengers of Christ’s love. And I think once we bear that responsibility and privilege, we’ll see how people change in the way we treat one another, in the way we relate to one another. We’ll see more and more people turn to Him because God and His love are contagious-no one can turn away from it! Therefore, let us be messengers of love, as we learn to love as He first loved us.