Perspective

I recently began hiking.  Now, I am not one of those gals that walks 10 miles a day, but I have discovered that I really enjoy spending time on a trail in the woods, all by myself, connecting with the natural world around me.  There is just something awe-inspiring when I get away from the bells and whistles of this world and take a deep breath of forest air.  Something amazing happens in my heart when I come upon one of God's creatures in their natural world. 

Lately, I have begun walking a particular trail at least once a week; it is conveniently located near a recurring appointment I have.  Over the last several months I have seen mushrooms come and go, my first fox in the wild, several deer, chipmunks, squirrels, and even learned to identify a few new trees.  Over time, though, it has all become comfortable and familiar.  I enjoy the hike, but that sense of excitement, that thrill of discovery, has waned.

As I pulled into the parking lot, I felt God speak to my heart that today was going to be different.  My heart began to speed up in anticipation of seeing a new animal, or discovering some hidden gem.  I took off down the path and when I came to my usual turnoff point, He nudged me to keep going.  

This trail is a loop, and I had always approached it by taking the early turn off into the woods and returning along the lakeside. But today I stayed the course and walked along the lake first....and it was all brand new!  There hadn't been any changes to the environment.  It was still the same trail, the same trees, the same animals, but MY perspective was different.

You see, I had fallen into a rut of expectation.  I knew where each step was leading, I had seen it all before.  As a result, some of the beauty had faded for me.  But this day, the day that I approached things in a new way, was different.  I felt that old sense of excitement about what might come next, I found myself discovering things that had always been there, but I hadn't noticed before.

Isn't our walk with Jesus like that sometimes?  We get into a pattern - get up, drink your coffee, read your devo, say a quick prayer, maybe read a few passages in the Bible, or listen to a sermon as you go about your day - and it just becomes ho-hum.  That excitement we felt at first when we realized that He loves us has faded.  The anticipation of the way He will speak to us through His word or the Spirit throughout the day gradually disappears as the things of this world take over our thoughts. 

I want to encourage you to change your perspective.  Shake things up a bit.  Approach things out of order.  Maybe pray before your coffee, read a book of the Bible you haven't read before or haven't read in a while.  Ask a friend to do a Bible study with you, or join a study at your church.  Start a prayer journal.  There are tons of ways to change your perspective.  And when you do, prepare for God to reveal some amazing and new  things that you hadn't noticed before.