Last Sunday I pulled a muscle while leading worship. Remember how I said my life was ironic? I couldn’t pull a bicep while playing baseball or by saving a baby from the jaws of a vicious dog….Ohhh nooo! I had to pull a neck muscle while hitting a high f!
I’m pretty sure no one is going to give me a medal of valor for that one…Hah!
Anyway, this series of posts has been dogging me for about two weeks and I haven’t known how to start it. I guess this is as good a beginning to my story as any.
My head hasn’t let me forget my sissy wound since that service. On Tuesday after two Tylenol and an 800 milligram Motrin failed to calm my complaining grey matter I decided it was time to try taking a nap.
As I laid my aching head on the pillow in my room a heavy rain began to fall outside my window.
God asked, “What do you see?”
“Rain.” I said.
“You choose the view.” He continued.
As I look at this picture, I am amazed that I did not see the trees that sloped so gracefully skyward or the elegant curve of the red-tiled roof outside my daughter’s window. I saw only the rain, the one thing my camera didn’t really pick up as I look at it now.
Life-change is sort of like rain. It draws our attention. It would have us focus all our energy on itself to the extent that we lose our view of everything else that is going on in the background. If we focus on it too much life-change can bring us down.
Change itself is always unsettling because it steals our rhythm. It makes us feel uncertain and afraid of what lies ahead. Yet God is always working behind the change. If we can just look through the heavy mists we will see a world of blessing that is being washed and nourished by the very thing that is making us so nervous.
Changing your view doesn’t make change less difficult. It just helps you to see that the difficulty has a purpose…a reason. It’s not all for nothing! God has a plan.
In the next few days we will be talking about how change effects attitude, commitment, goals, relationship, and health. It’s not set in stone. Remember you choose the view!
Reinventing the We'll 
“You choose the view” – timely!
It would seem a few changes might be heading our way. Hubby turned 81 last April and while he has always been healthy, he has developed a few serious health problems, making a few changes necessary and the possibility of more to come.
We know God is on the throne and in control and we are happy to leave everything in His hands, but “change” doesn’t sit well. We need to choose the view – looking at things from God’s perspective and what He has in store.
Thanks.
PS I meant to say I hope your head is better now.
Thank you! My head is better! I had our prayer team anoint me and the pain started to subside immediately. 🙂 I will be praying for your husband as you face the life changes God is bringing your way!
JE
Pastor J . . .I choose to view your wound as a heroic one, sustained in worship to your Lord. 🙂 And I pray that you are getting better!
I’ve noticed some changes taking place here, internal ones, so am all ears as you proceed!
God bless you and thank you!
Thanks Deb, Indeed God revealed to me it was an attack against worship! I look forward to sharing what God has in store.
Ironically perfect timing … thank you! And very sincere empathy for your pulled muscle – the stress comes, the pulled neck muscles come!! Hope it’s better soon.
Thanks so much! I am better this week after my team prayed for me! I am glad you were blessed by the timing of this piece. God does have excellent timing. I am really enjoying your blog! Thanks for reading mine!
Thank you, Pastor J
I like this much!! A few years ago a sister prayed for me and taught me the power of choosing. These days I use that word very often in my prayers for others … it’s a choice we get to make. We get to decide how we respond!
Thanks for sharing 🙂 Not long from now we will wish we could see the green of the trees or the rain for that matter!! Summer is on its way and another season waits in the wings. We get to choose how we respond to what comes round the bend.
Thank you so much for tossing this out here on this Saturday morning when so much has gone differently from what I expected. I will choose the view!!
Blessings much,
ann
MAy God bless you Ann as you choose His view on the matters at hand. I know it is easier said than done!
When I sing it is the listeners who are wounded!
Too funny sister! 🙂
Hi Pastor J,
Wow! This is a tough one for me. As I think on it, I feel myself tearing up. For the last several years, my literal view has changed quite drastically! I never even remotely had an inkling of what my view would be, at this time! Suffering from RSD has turned my life upside down, and inside out! However, I thank God, because through everything that I’m going through, I can still see God! He is still ruling and reigning on the throne of my heart! Praise God! It is only because of Him, that I can handle the view!
God bless you.
Paulette
This is so true too Paulette! As I have faced aall the life changes of the last months I have often had to go to God with my view and put that in His hands. Sometimes it has taken days to get my sight going the way it should again. Always though I was involved in the choice to approach God for a change of viewpoint. It’s a forceful work sometimes but good choices that tend towards God always bring their own reward even if the journey to those choices is greatly painful! Thanks for commenting!
JE
Thanks Jay!
You are most welcome sister!
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