Ask any parents if their son or daughter is getting the glory they deserve—well, don’t ask it in those words, but it’s the heart of the matter.
Playing time or batting order. Ranking in their class at school. Selected for the next level. Awarded the stuffed animal of the preschool to take home as recognition for good behavior and exceptional life skills. In parents’ minds, these accolades aren’t as frequent as they should be for their perfect child.
And there it is. Parents have an out-of-whack perspective about their own kids. Parents’ perspective doesn’t match reality. Their kiddos aren’t angels.
That’s why it is so important to take a step back from your circumstances in any situation—especially a troubling one—and ask, “What is God doing?” Fair treatment of that question will lead you to God’s Word, where God speaks clearly.
Let God tell you his perspective, and be careful that you don’t filter his perspective with your perspective. It’s amazing what you can see when you see things the way God sees things.
And then pray. Ask another excellent question: “How do I respond to what God is doing?” This clarifies not only God’s perspective, but how yours matches it. It prepares you to respond in a way that follows God’s agenda. When you and God are on the same page, life is good.
Jesus, speaking on behalf of God the Father, once said, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).
God is your Father. He has a subjective perspective about you that doesn’t match yours when you see disappointment, mistakes, guilt, failure, an overcommitted to-do list, fear, uncontrolled habits, loneliness, and downright sin and shame.
God looks at you and smiles. His perspective is forgiving and faithful, always with mercy-colored glasses. You’re a saint! You can do no wrong. You’re his perfect child.
So, whose perspective do you really want to live out today? Keep asking those two good questions: “What is God doing? How do I respond?” You’ll see yourself and your life in a new way.
PRAYER: God, what are you doing right now in my life? I ask not to accuse you, but to explore you. And how can I respond? I ask not to earn your approval—by grace I already have it—but to take spiritual next steps and join the journey where you are leading. Amen.
FURTHER MEDITATION: Spend meditative time in prayer asking those two questions. Picture a big whiteboard, blank and empty, where God is going to write the answers. You don’t have them scripted anywhere. It’s a blank slate. “Dear God, what are you doing in my life? How can I respond?”