I walk around and am not dizzy. I stop quick and do not fall down. I do not feel sick; most of the time, I feel just fine. Dizziness, lost equilibrium and sickness are the feelings that I experience after riding one of those menacing rides at any amusement park, and, yet, I do not experience them in every day life. Is the ride at the amusement park faster? Hardly, then, how can I not feel the movement of the planet on which I live? We are moving; it is true, and it has been proven. How can I not sense such a real reality? Why can I not experience this speed? It is a big rock going really fast. I am extremely small in comparison to the rock and the speed. It seems that I ought to be able to sense this in some way, and yet, I can not. Well, science will tell you that the earth, you, me and the coffee I am drinking right now are all moving at the same fixed speed, and as long as everything moves at that same fixed speed we will feel nothing. Still, all my senses tell me that nothing is moving while science tells me everything is moving. Who do I trust? I, of course, know the truth, at least the truth I was told was the truth in high school, but still, I feel nothing of the speed or the rotation of the planet and, therefore, can not back that truth with my own experience, which is built from my own senses. There is a lesson here about reality.
In situations of danger, our senses engage and do a fairly adequate job of protecting us. We sense danger and all of our senses begin to work in unison to protect us. They respond according to the severity of the danger and the nature of the moment. Currently, I sit in my living room and type; I am in no danger at the moment and, according to my own senses, I am sitting still. My senses can be trusted in danger, and yet, out of danger, in some instances, they can not. I have stopped moving and breathing in order to feel the movment of the planet, and no matter how hard I try, I can not do it. My senses, in this situation, can not be trusted because they continue to tell me that when I stop moving I am not moving, and yet, I know that I am moving at a tremendous rate of speed along with the rest of the planet. Science and math have provided me with information which I have rationalized in a logical manner in order to determine that, despite what I feel, I am really moving at a high rate of speed. My perspective, which was formed by my own experiences, experienced through my own senses, tell me that the planet, me and my cup of coffee are not moving, and yet, on such a grand stage, my senses are wrong. How many other times does this happen to me in the course of my day? How many times do all of my senses tell me the opposite of what is true? When this happens do I even realize it, or worse, do I even care? Most never realize it or even care about it.
As we live our lives, we do so inside our own perspectives, and, if we are not careful, they can become our own little bubble world which, if we are not careful, will one day burst all over us. We use these perspectives every day, and we do so without thinking too much about them. Our days are filled with decisions, and most are small with a larger one invading our life every now and then. Every decision we make is a statement or for an even better descriptor, a judgement. These judgements flow out of our perspectives, which taint each and every decision made. According to one dictionary, the word perspective originally comes from the Latin words per meaning "through" and specere which means "to look." These are combined to mean "to look through" or "to look at." Your perspective is how you look at the word through your lens. Now, if you are like me, when you look at the world through your lens you tend to be the center of the world at which you look. Your decisions are made, rightly so, for your immediate benefit. Just this morning, I made the decisions to get up, run, work out, drink coffee, eat breakfast, shower and brush my teeth, and all those decisions were made within the first two hours of my day. Each of those decisions benefited me directly, and each one should have. But, what happens when this process bleeds into other areas of life, and the decisions you and I make in relation to others, we make as if they are decisions only benefiting us alone. Making decisions in this manner alone will affect other aspects of life, aspects outside of you and me. We make decisions that affect our spouses, our kids, our vocation and our friends, but we make these decisions in the exact same manner we make all other decisions, with our benefit as our main goal. This behavior has many labels according to the magnitude of the behavior; the behavior can range from selfish all the way to narcissistic, depending on how much of your own world you occupy. In today's world, with the emphasis on self, thinking of others is an after thought. It is not even considered wrong to be self-centered anymore. So, then, how do you make decisions with others in mind? I mean really live a life thinking of others before yourself? Can it be done?
Well, it can be done, but not by mere human means. Jesus Christ is the only way. And, I am not talking about religion, denomination or interpretation; no, I am talking about God the Son. It is Jesus that every scriptural passage and verse points to as the answer to this issue and all others. It is Jesus that breaks into life and changes your perspective from self to other. No one else can do it, and no one else will. When life happens we will all default to self out of protection and perspective because that is what our experience has been for years. Every once in a while, life takes a turn not expected and dumps everything in your life out onto the floor for you to observe. No matter how nicely packed your life has been, when it is lying on that floor before you, it is a perspective very different than the one you are used to living. It is at those times, when the pain, heartache and brokenness are fresh, that God re-orders your life in relation to Him if He exists in your life in the first place. He re-calibrates your life in accordance with your immediate needs in relation to Him. And, that last part is monumental because, as I stated earlier, we will live our lives making decisions that directly benefit us even in situations not directly related to us. In much the same way that we believe the scientists regarding the moving earth over our senses, we will have to do the same thing with Jesus. He knows what is best, and it is often in direct contradiction to what we think we need. New situations and circumstances come by way of new relationships and new means of assistance. The pain, heartache and brokenness still remain, but now, instead of being alone, they are joined by fresh new emotions and relationships. And, pretty soon, you see that you are not standing still. The problem all along was that you were getting the wrong information from the wrong source... you!. Perspective!
You will never rationally or logically figure out the gospel. Ephesians chapter one tells us that, specifically verse 17. So, if you trying to figure out the gospel in the same way I was trying to feel the movement of the earth, well, it's not happening because, in the same way that my senses are limited and incapable of picking up the earth's movement, they are also incapable of understanding the gospel alone. So, be wary, your current reality may not be the actual real reality in the end. Blessings!
