“I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.” Habakkuk 2:1
As we ascended a hill on an unmarked path in North Dakota a couple years back, we made the climb to see a landmark, Salem Sue. Salem Sue is the World’s Largest Holstein Cow, made of fiberglass, built in 1974 to honor the local dairy and farming industry. No, that isn’t the only reason we visited North Dakota, but it was one of many fun stops we made along the journey. As most cars were busily passing by on the interstate, likely seeing “Sue” out of their car window, we chose to pull off and climb the hill (with our car); however, I chose the more difficult path that day of some gravel, some dirt, tight turns (I hesitate to mention there was a truck with trailer at the top that had discovered an easier way, but let’s see past that for this message). Reaching the top gave me an entirely new perspective from that day as I looked down over the city, the farm land, and reflected on all we did to get to that moment.
Habakkuk ascended to a higher place to gain new perspective as well:
“I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.” Habakkuk 2:1
See he had complaints and he was seeking answers from the Lord, who did reply. As he waited he climbed to a high place where there are fewer distractions and where new perspective could be found.
As my life has shifted and my priorities have changed….as I have dug into surrendering my will over to God’s, a lot of decisions I now make don’t match the “norm,” which leads to some interesting and colorful conversations at times. It truly is a privilege…
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 1 Peter 3:15
However, it can be difficult to keep the “gentleness and respect” piece when someone’s opinions start rolling in and make you feel like….(I’ll get back to this).
Earlier this week when I had an opportunity for gentleness and respect, I think I was…..but inside, I was a fiery volcano about to spew, know the feeling? I went in to pull laundry from the dryer, but before I reached the door, I was trying to put a word on my emotion, my feeling, my frustration. Well, as I pulled the dryer door open, something unusual fell from the dryer, a Marvin the Martian Loony Tune mini-figure. As I picked it up, I thought, “Huh? How did that possibly get in here, I haven’t seen the boys play with these in ages, if ever!” But in a second, I knew the answer to the world I was seeking, the understanding I needed.
What I was feeling was “alien.”
“Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives….that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” 1 Peter 11-12
I hadn’t ever read that verse and personally understood it as well as I did in that moment. I had gained new “perspective.” Sometimes we are called to be the different one in a situation. The one who speaks up. The one who leaves. The one who partakes, the one who doesn’t. We may be the one who isn’t conforming to what everyone around us is doing and we may feel very alone doing it. But as Habakkuk did, we must climb up to a high place and seek a new perspective, a new understanding so that we may maintain our gentleness and respect in our dealings with others. How would things look if we were peering in from a new view?
We have several small animals in cages. We see them from the same view, outside the cage most days; however, some time ago, I recall talking with my sons about loving them well. I said, “Imagine you were locked in your room all day and all I did was slip a meal behind the door and close it again. Would you start to feel like you were in a prison?” I reminded them of a new perspective, those animals depend on us to take them to new places, see new things, and they trust us. As a family, we began making it a priority to have a rotating schedule bringing them up, out of cages, outside, and into our arms more. It has been a blessing to us all.
This week, find a place that can take you higher than what is going on around you. Seek a new perspective and see if some gentleness can flood back in. You might feel like an alien, but you aren’t the only one!
Seeking new perspective with you here on earth, Julie
Father, Today I Surrender:
My Perspective
Show me the next step I should take.