I’ve been thinking a lot about perspective lately. Maybe it’s because I’m approaching the middle of my life, maybe it’s because I have children at the end of the parenting spectrum and children at the beginning.
Some days the intensity that fills my life can be overwhelming, until I take a deep breath and cry out for some perspective.
“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I am known.” 1 Corinthians 13:11-12
When I ask the Lord for some perspective He is so gracious to give it to me, like the second part of this verse. The part I see, the part I’m living, the daily grind of child-raising and husband loving and home keeping all seem so pertinent so all consuming, but these things are just a tiny little piece of this gift called life. When I take a moment to step back and get the heart of God on a matter, my attitude instantly changes and I realize that someday I will look back on this time and wish for it to return.
I was encouraging someone with many little children once and used the word freedom in my exhortation. She was like “huh?” Since I’ve got older kids now, I can think back to the time when I only had little ones and it felt so much freer! Now my life is under a microscope (teens notice EVERYTHING), I have to be diligent daily for their education and spiritual growth. My actions have a greater consequence now then when I only had little children.
And someday I imagine I’ll look back on this time too and feel the same way. Until then, I will continue to ask the Lord for perspective, His perspective, and rest in the fact that each day has it’s own trouble and I don’t need to worry about it!
