CHANGING OUR PERSPECTIVE

 Psalm 103:1-2

Of David.

Praise the Lord, O my soul;

all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Praise the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits—

                Our day began with a couple of pretty normal, routine activities. We got in the car and drove to Menards and Aldi. At Menards I bought wood to build some night stands for my grandchildren. Then at Aldi we filled our cart with food for the week. There was nothing special about either event. When I got home and was carrying the groceries to the house, I was struck by the reality of what an enormous blessing I was experiencing. The blessing of having access to the things I need and want.

                Recently we watched a video series called The Human Planet. It is a fascinating look at how human beings have adapted to every climate and environment on the earth. Every episode began with the statement, there is only one creature on earth who has adapted to every environment on earth; it is us. Each episode showed how people all over the world have mastered their circumstances to thrive in often very challenging situations. I was struck by how many people around the world have to fight every day just to put food on the table. For many of them there isn’t even a table to put the food on.

                I tell you all of this to bring us back to the reality that we are amazingly blessed. I don’t have to go out hunting every day to provide food for my family. I simply go to the grocery store and buy what I want. We don’t have to be content with the bare essentials, we can enjoy whatever we want in abundance. The problem is that we don’t realize just how blessed we are. We take the grocery store for granted and complain when they don’t have the thing we are looking for.

                One of the major traps of living in an affluent society is that our expectations rise and our satisfaction declines. We have more and are less content. We focus our attention on what we don’t have and lose sight of all that we do have. If we have a roof over our head, warm clothes to wear and food to eat we are blessed. There are many in our world who would love to have we what see as the bare minimum.

                There has been much complaining and discontent lately. Some of this has been brought on by the pandemic. Some of this has been brought on by the political and social unrest that has swept our country. It is time to shift our perspective. As Paul says in Philippians 4:8, Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

                King David calls us to praise the Lord and to not forget all of His benefits. So think with me for just a minute about all that we can praise God for.

- We have grocery stores that provide a wide variety of food from all over the world for our enjoyment.

- We have homes that are heated and can keep us warm and dry.

- We have closets full of more clothes than we need that cover us during all seasons.

- We have doctors, nurses, clinics, and hospitals that can care for us when we are sick.

- We have a new vaccine to counter the ravages of Covid-19.

- We have cars to transport us where we want to go and roads to get us there.

- We have the time to indulge in hobbies that bring us joy and satisfaction.

- We have access to nature in the form of parks and forests.

- We have the ability to communicate with family and friends even when they are hundreds of miles away.

- We live in communities, and not is isolation, even though we may feel that way right now.

                The list can go on and on, if we just take the time to stop and look at all of the blessings God has given to us. Your list will be different from my list, but it will be just as extensive. But above all of the material blessings that God has showered upon us, there is even a greater blessing that we often overlook. It is the blessing of His love and presence. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) God has revealed Himself through His word and through The Word, Jesus. We do not have to live in spiritual ignorance. God has revealed the truth about life and our world and that truth is found in Jesus. When we grasp that truth, we are set free from chasing after the things we don’t have. Instead, we are empowered to see, appreciate, and celebrate all that God has given to us.  

                Gratitude is the key to a rich and fulfilling life. It opens our eyes to the blessings of God. It silences the discontent that the world feeds us every day. It challenges us to live joyful lives.

Matthew 6:25-34

    "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

    "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.