Life in the bubble

Recently we had the opportunity to visit the island of Phuket in southern Thailand for a retreat/conference with fellow MB Missionaries that are working here in Thailand.  As is my usual habit when I am traveling, I like to get up on the early side and enjoy the sights before the crowds of people arrive.  On one morning everything had a more sparkling look because of the drops left behind from the evening rains.  As I peered through a drop on the end of a branchlet/needle of a Casuarina tree I was able to see the path in front of me—but it was upside down.

Imagine if you had to live in the drop.  In one sense you would think you had a clear understanding of the world around you, everything would be sharp and in focus and there would be an order to everything that you could make sense of—except it was upside down!  We would not have a true perspective because we our perspective would be from the limited world of life within the bubble.

That is kind of like what life is like for us humans.  We see the world around us and there is an apparent order to everything and everything seems to make sense.  But we don’t see everything.  Our perspective is limited by our humanity.  God’s perspective is is much bigger than ours.  And our perspective is often upside-down.  Here are just a few examples from the words of Jesus about how God’s perspective is often opposite from our perspective:

• For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. (Matthew 16:25-NIV)
•  Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."  (Mark 9:35-NIV)
•  When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."  (Luke 18:22-NIV)
• Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. (Matthew 5:11-NIV)

One day some of the limitations of our perspective will be removed.  The Apostle Paul writes of that day: Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. (1 Corinthians 13:12-NIV)  But even before that day comes, the Holt Spirit can help us to see things as God does.  Jesus said,  But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:26-NIV)  The Holy Spirit enabled the disciples to remember Jesus’ word that they might record them for us who would follow after them.

God, I thank you that you have chosen to reveal yourself to us through the prophets, through the scriptures, through Jesus, and through the Holy Spirit.  I thank you that you did not want us to live our lives with the distorted view of life from the inside the bubble.  But I confess that there is a lot of pressure to conform and I often give in and choose to life my life as though there is no more to the universe than what can be seen with our eyes or comprehended by our brains.  By Your Holy Spirit help me to see things as you do and respond to things as you would.