Coffee in hand, I watched as my husband‘s photos flickered across the TV. Through some technological miracle, ChromeCast collected images from his online photo storage site and projected them into our home in a slideshow of memories. Vacation moments, family activities, and silly shenanigans, which had been captured in tiny, digital time capsules, were now enjoyed over and over again. As I sat sipping and grinning over a snapshot of my teenage son‘s antics, the screen changed to an unfamiliar picture, one my husband had taken more recently on a solo business trip. Drew Brees beamed triumphantly, Super Bowl trophy in hand. I chuckled, thinking it funny that my avid New Orleans Saints fan hubby would choose to take a picture of another picture. Didn’t he have the Sports Illustrated issue with this very shot on its cover in full color? Why would the black-and-white of a familiar image capture his attention?
I felt underwhelmed.
I assumed only a fan with my husband’s passion would think a photograph was photo worthy. Then, something caught my eye. In the corner of the picture was a tiny fire truck and a minuscule portable tent. What had appeared to be an 8” x 10” wall portrait suddenly became more significant as I realized the actual size of what my husband had photographed. I understood his awe. From his perspective as the photographer, the picture of Drew Brees was building-sized, a larger-than-life marvel that paid tribute to a pinnacle moment in the history of the Saints’ football team. It was a meritorious expression warranting my husband‘s response. My underwhelm could only be the result of my limited perspective.
As the slide faded into another, I wondered how many times I had failed to fully appreciate the spiritual because of my disengaged point of view. Had I, figuratively speaking, sat with coffee in hand and observed the wonders of the supernatural through a jaundiced eye? How often had my perspective been small, underwhelmed because I discerned God-things through the tiny window of my preconceptions, prejudices, or proclivities?
Limited perception always works against our faith. From the outside, the Christian walk appears undesirable, but in truth, when we “taste and see“ we discover that “the Lord is good.“ A fellow believer’s testimony of salvation or healing tends to receive our briefest applause, but for the one released from sin’s bondage or the grip of disease, God‘s touch extracts a continuous, standing ovation. Scriptural accounts, like the one in 2 Kings 19, where one angel silently kills 185,000 enemy soldiers to deliver God’s people, might be skim read during daily devotions giving only a cursory nod to God’s power displayed on behalf of His people. Unless that passage is read when we ourselves feel surrounded by adversarial opposition. Such are our tendencies.
We can regard the supernatural in a casual manner, like watching someone else’s photo flash across our living room television screen. But for a fan who is up close and personal, the magnitude of the moment is experienced with wonder. God‘s Word becomes a photo bank in which celestial collisions with time are captured for our present viewing. Historical accounts and present day acts of God become inspiration for our current issues. If we permit God’s Spirit to shift our perspective, we can see more than the disconnect an armchair view of the Christian life affords. We can resize the spiritual to scale, relive the moments of victory, and feel the ecstasy only a true SAINT, a fan of God, can feel!
Tip/Tidbit: Step back and get a new perspective on the heavenly.
I felt underwhelmed.
I assumed only a fan with my husband’s passion would think a photograph was photo worthy. Then, something caught my eye. In the corner of the picture was a tiny fire truck and a minuscule portable tent. What had appeared to be an 8” x 10” wall portrait suddenly became more significant as I realized the actual size of what my husband had photographed. I understood his awe. From his perspective as the photographer, the picture of Drew Brees was building-sized, a larger-than-life marvel that paid tribute to a pinnacle moment in the history of the Saints’ football team. It was a meritorious expression warranting my husband‘s response. My underwhelm could only be the result of my limited perspective.
As the slide faded into another, I wondered how many times I had failed to fully appreciate the spiritual because of my disengaged point of view. Had I, figuratively speaking, sat with coffee in hand and observed the wonders of the supernatural through a jaundiced eye? How often had my perspective been small, underwhelmed because I discerned God-things through the tiny window of my preconceptions, prejudices, or proclivities?
Limited perception always works against our faith. From the outside, the Christian walk appears undesirable, but in truth, when we “taste and see“ we discover that “the Lord is good.“ A fellow believer’s testimony of salvation or healing tends to receive our briefest applause, but for the one released from sin’s bondage or the grip of disease, God‘s touch extracts a continuous, standing ovation. Scriptural accounts, like the one in 2 Kings 19, where one angel silently kills 185,000 enemy soldiers to deliver God’s people, might be skim read during daily devotions giving only a cursory nod to God’s power displayed on behalf of His people. Unless that passage is read when we ourselves feel surrounded by adversarial opposition. Such are our tendencies.
We can regard the supernatural in a casual manner, like watching someone else’s photo flash across our living room television screen. But for a fan who is up close and personal, the magnitude of the moment is experienced with wonder. God‘s Word becomes a photo bank in which celestial collisions with time are captured for our present viewing. Historical accounts and present day acts of God become inspiration for our current issues. If we permit God’s Spirit to shift our perspective, we can see more than the disconnect an armchair view of the Christian life affords. We can resize the spiritual to scale, relive the moments of victory, and feel the ecstasy only a true SAINT, a fan of God, can feel!
Tip/Tidbit: Step back and get a new perspective on the heavenly.
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