When God Says "Look Through A Different Lens"

Well, the day before Thanksgiving I went to put my lenses in and had issues with one.  The one cracked when I pulled it out.  Never had that happen before.  If I had to guess it was because of the fact it got flipped over in the case and created a seal that I had a hard time breaking and it released once the lens cracked.  Definitely not ideal.  But then I remembered, I had my last pair of lenses in the linen closet.  My mom told me to always keep the pair I had replaced, just in case. 

So I put in the old one.  Not great, it was scratched and not quite strong enough (I remembered why I got new lenses in the first place).  Fortunately they could order me a new one, but it could take up to 2 weeks before I would get it.

During the weekend of Thanksgiving I kept closing my good eye and looking through the other.  Why?  I am not sure, but it got some stuff stirring in my heart.

I began to ask God, what do I need to see through a different lens right now.  A somewhat bold request, but I kept it in my prayers.

Perspective is key and sometimes we need to look at things in a different way.  Or we need someone to help us see it in another way.  I did a little research into the definition of perspective.  So what does it mean?

Looking into it, perspective is a particular attitude toward something.  Another way to think about it, is through synonyms: stance, angle, slant, attitude, frame of mind, frame of reference, approach, way of looking or thinking, vantage point, interpretation.

So here I am, asking God to understand this through a different lens.  What frame of mind do I need to shift?  What other way do I need to take a look at things?  What in particular is my heart trying to say?  Or even my mind or body?

In the past 2 1/2 weeks I\’ve been trying listen in better, take a deeper look at things, make shifts, and speak truths where needed.

But here is the thing.  When I began to ask God to show me things through this different lens, I wasn\’t sure where it would lead.  

As time went by, with the wrong lens in, I would have a headache for most of the day.  There was so much tension building around my good eye because it was working harder.  And with time it was causing my other eye to become weaker.  My eyes needed each other to work at their best.  Just like we need Jesus and the Holy Spirit to work at our best.  And once I had my new lens, I couldn\’t put it in because my eyes needed sometime without both to readjust

And you know what?  Our best can look different each day and from moment to moment depending on what we are facing.  That is okay.  That is the natural part of our rhythm, our ebb and flow.  But that is where grace comes in.  Allowing ourselves the grace in knowing that today may look different than yesterday, then tomorrow, but that is okay.

Likewise, we need to step back and readjust.  See our perspective changes little by little as we gain more knowledge and turn that knowledge into wisdom.

Through the old lens I began to see more clearly that God was working in my heart more deeper and I was beginning to connect some dots that have been scattered around over the years.

Now with the new lens in place and things more normal, I am beginning to see God trying to talk to me.  With the help of those around me, dots are connecting…pieces of my puzzle are coming together.

You know what though?  Had I not shifted my perspective, my focus would have created a different attitude, a different frame of mind, and I wouldn\’t be listening to the whispers of God in my heart.  My lens broke and I needed a shift to see more clearly.

When we listen to the whisper God is placing on our hearts we begin to focus on the purpose we have been given.  We are able to lay the outside stuff down, release the burdens, remove loads that aren\’t ours to carry and be set free, lighter and ready. 

We are just a couple weeks from beginning a new year.  In many ways this year has been way different than anyone could have imagined.  Messes have been created that need clean up.  That clean up will take time.