For this week’s Worship Wednesday, Jennifer reminds us that God can change your point of view when the obstacles you face loom like the Himilayas.

Change Your Point of View

My daughter gave up her room, in fact her entire attic floor to friends of mine for a weekend this summer. She doesn’t really know my friends except that they have adopted five kids and have two older kids. They were in town for their son’s wedding and my generous daughter gave them her space. 

While my daughter was sitting in our kitchen, her favorite stuffed animal came careening down the stairs, three flights in all. She is in college and has let most toys go. However, her stuffed animals… that is different. They are special. They comfort her during nights in an attic that sometimes has bats and often has wild wind hitting the windows.

As she starts to get up to grab up her favorite, another one comes flying down and doesn’t stop at the main floor but continues down to the basement with a thud. Her heart is torn and her anger starts to rise. She grabs her favorite and hugs him tight.

Slowly she begins to hear the sound of deep belly laughs emanating from the attic. She takes a quick scan up the stairs to find five little children looking down from above loving the sight of things falling and seeing where they land.

What’s Your Perspective?

At that moment I could envision these stairs cause great joy for some and hurt for others. It was a gentle reminder to me of life itself. Some things we see as a source of pain others see as a source of joy. Each of us comes with a viewpoint. 

I see these stairs as a mountain to climb. Every time I climb them they take my breath away but I am getting stronger. As I assault the stairs every day, I gain stamina and strength so stopping no longer happens. My daughter sees them as a goal to be reached. A pinnacle that serves as her sanctuary where no one bothers her.

These kids see the stairs as a window on the world. It is entertaining to see what happens to these stuffed animals. Some made it to the second floor, two to the first floor and only one to the basement (he was the winner in their mind). 

Through which lens do you see what God is doing in your world? Is it a mountain to climb or overcome? Is it the way to a sanctuary? Or is it a game to slide down as fast and as far as you can to win?

Military Service Makes for Some Steep Mountains

What is the mountain you are facing?  Is it a move during the school year? I am that person. My husband entered the military in the fall so that put us on a “winter cycle.” That meant that our first five moves, all with kids, were in the fall around Thanksgiving.  I could have seen it as a mountain that was too much to handle. Instead, God showed me that it was a mountain to slide down. Since we moved mid-school year, my kids got to enter classrooms full of kids who they could meet and many were our neighbors, becoming instant playmates. Seeing winter moves from God’s perspective showed me God’s love for my kids down to the smallest things.

Another mountain God allowed me to see from his perspective is the mountain of healthcare. Tricare can be a huge mountain of frustrations yet God showed me it is a blessing. My eldest is married now and over half her paycheck goes to pay for them to have a very basic healthcare plan. She has to work to pay for healthcare which she can’t use because she has to work to pay for it. Dealing with Tricare has lots of bumps and boulders in my path, but seeing it as a blessing rather than a curse has changed my life.

But God Changes Our Perspectives

I stood in my church today and heard “Way Maker” by Sinach for the first time. This song reminds me God sees me through his eyes of love. God is making a way or several ways. He is moving, and he is with me. He changes my perspective and he can change your perspective if you allow him to. 

God is the miracle worker who can change how you view the circumstances you are in right now. He is the promise keeper who has promised to never leave you nor forsake you. He has you in the palm of his hand. 

As my daughter picked up the winner and all the others, she hugged them close and realized that they were not hurt by their travel down the stairs. She told me that during lighting storms God gives her light in the darkness. Her animals are comforting but God gives her peace in the storms. As you listen to this song, remember God is our Way Maker. Ask him to change your perspective of your different situations. He will send his light into your darkness.

For some encouragement to change your point of view, listen to Way Maker by Osinachi Okoro (Sinach).

by Jennifer Wake

If you’re facing a steep mountain, the Planting Roots Prayer Team would be honored to pray for you. You can submit your prayer requests on our Prayer Request Page.