Thursday, December 04, 2014

Perspective Changes Everything

You think you have problems. Then the Lord comes and whacks you over the head to change your perspective. Suddenly the things that seem so important and difficult become tiny and insignificant. The past few days I've been discouraged, defeated and broken-hearted for the relationships we are trying so hard to build here in Honduras. But suddenly those words I found so offensive and the embarrassing moment that brought me to tears don't seem to matter so much.

I overheard a brief, but emotional phone conversation between our friend, Andi, and her sister. You could hear the heartache in Andi's voice. Her 9-year-old nephew has been in a coma for the last eight days. He fell out of a tree he was climbing and has already undergone two different surgeries on his brain. I couldn't help but eavesdrop and what I heard gave my perspective a knock-out blow. I listened to my friend encourage her sister, who has rejected a relationship with Christ over and over again, with Scripture and with such conviction and compassion that I knew the words could only be from the Lord Himself. While her own heart was breaking, Andi calmed and soothed her sister with the words "Have faith. God is in control of all things. And He has a plan." She repeated the phrases several times until I could almost hear the sigh at the other end of the line as her sister's hysteria subsided.

As certain as I am that God gave Andi the words her sister needed to hear, I am convinced that He gave me the ability to understand every Spanish word so that I would also hear. Pray for little Bryan lying in that hospital bed today and for his mom who is suffering. But also pray for me. Pray that the Lord would continually adjust my perspective with a good solid whack when I need it.

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