Do you remember those posters that were really popular back in the 90′s? The ones that you had to stare at for A LONG time before finally seeing the picture that was hidden inside of what at first glance looked to just be random lines or shapes? Those posters were EVERYWHERE and I hate to admit this… but for the longest time I not able to see any picture on any poster!
I would get so frustrated when I would see one of them because I knew I was not going to be able to see it. People would give you all kinds of tricks and tips to help you see the image. Some people would swear that if you held at a certain angle you would see the picture. Others told me I needed to hold my head a specific way to see it. Nothing worked.
Until one day I was with a friend shopping when we saw one and I confided in them my frustration over these posters. They suggested that I stand really close to it to start with and then slowly begin to back away from the frame and let my eyes take more and more of the picture in slowly.
Yes, I felt silly doing this in the aisle of a busy store… but for the first time EVERY I was able to see the picture hidden in the picture. I was so excited that I yelled and drew more than a few looks from fellow shoppers.
The key had been that I needed to slowly move away from the poster in order to get a clear picture of what I was really looking at. I am finding that the same lesson of the poster applies to our life’s problems. In fact, through these last few months I have begun to see and understand the importance of space and distance.
In order to fully see the big picture of what we are going through and what God is doing through our circumstances we have to put space and distance between our problems and our perspectives.
You know me and how I like to come up with new meanings for old words… well I have done it again. I was looking at the word SPACE the other day and realized the lesson in the letters:
Slow
Perspectives
After
Current
Events
We are not in our limited human perspectives going to be able to understand the full picture of our problems at the time that we are going through them. Sometimes we do not see it for days, weeks, months, or even years… in other cases we do not see it on this side of heaven.
This is why it is critical to have faith that we don’t have to see and understand the entire picture… because we have faith and trust in the one who has designed it.
As I am coming to the end of this 40 Post Project I am fully aware that while this period of posts on my blog may be coming to an a close… our struggle is not. I fully expect that as more time and space come between me and the events of the last few months- God will continue to reveal perspective and lessons to me. I am also sure that as they come I will find ways to share them here with you all too.
Tomorrow is post #40 in this series… the finish line is in sight. However, as with all things in life… at every finish line is another set of starting blocks for the next phase of your journey with Jesus.
This song is a song that I love because it reminds me that every step of this life is not in my hands but in God’s. I don’t have to know the destination to walk with him… because I trust where he leads me and believe that he will never leave me to face any of it alone.
I invite you to travel with me on this 40 day journey as I seek to find and share perspective in our pain. Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, or by subscribing to the blog. Feel free to also catch up on the previous posts in this series by clicking here.
Today, I would love to hear your thoughts about the perspectives we gain as we move away from our struggles -please feel free to leave a comment below.
