Perspectives in Light

One of the definitions of perspective is the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance.  That’s when we use the word perspective to say things like, “You need to put things in perspective.” Putting things in perspective is seeing in the light of what is most important and putting proper weight, shape, and height to what is in relation to that viewpoint.  If we are stuck in a situation, or feeling a change in perspective is necessary for things to change; there is a natural instinct to rationalize and justify the part we are playing in the things we experience. It’s like the light of truth gets bent in our own gravity and creates a distortion of what’s really going on. Sometimes we have to look outwardly to gain proper perspective inwardly. The scriptures have a powerful way of telling stories that help us gain perspective. When we focus on God and His word, it will reflect light back on us personally.  Not only can this process expose things in our life like a mirror, but like photosynthesis, it can also bring healing, power, and life into our hearts.

In 2 Samuel 12, we see Nathan use this narrative device to great effect when he confronts King David with his sin of adultery and murder. Nathan tells David a story with seemingly obvious injustice that has a clear villain. As David begins to respond with angry judgment, Nathan reveals the story is really about him.  In that moment David is able to see himself and his situation clearly. David’s outraged judgment calling for the death of the bad guy in the story quickly turns into a humble confession. We all naturally want justice “out there” but grace when things get personal. David was heading in the wrong direction and in order for him to turn things around he had to be able to feel the full weight of what he had done. 

One of the things that attracted me to the Bible was how the human and flawed side of the characters is never shied away from.  I found at times there are great insights to be found if we let ourselves relate to the bad guys in a story. A sudden switch of perspective can have unsettling results, but it can be what we need to get back on track and find restoration.

In Mathew 18:21 Peter asks Jesus, “How many times will my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”  Jesus answered him, “I say to you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven.” Jesus then tells the parable of the unmerciful servant. This story is about a servant who was majorly in debt to his king and the king shows mercy on him and cancels his debt. The servant then immediately goes out and cruelly demands pay back from someone who owes him a small debt. When the king hears of his conduct, he confronts the servant and asks “Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?”  Then the parable ends with the king throwing the servant, that he initially gave grace to, in prison until he pays the debt he owes the king.  While it was true the servant had been wronged and owed a debt, there was a deeper more important truth in the fact that the king had forgiven his debt. 

Bitterness acts as a kind of infection on a wound of offense that shows up when there is not forgiveness. It’s bad enough to go through the pain of being wronged, but without forgiveness that wound will be infected with bitterness. There are times when I feel like I have done my best to forgive, but there is still pain or a scar that bitterness keeps showing up in.  I think I have dealt with the issue and something out of the blue happens and all of a sudden it’s back up in my mind and emotions and the bitterness is raging again. 

What do we do with those scars that won’t go away? 

Sometimes forgiveness is not always a one time event but more of a process. We forgive but we don’t forget. For a long time I thought Jesus was referring to forgiving seven times seventy different offenses from your “brother.”  But it can just as well refer to the same one offense that keeps coming back up in our mind and memory. How can we find the power to overcome the pain and anger we feel from being wronged if the memory re-ignites all the feelings all over again? Jesus is showing the way out and it is through focusing on what He has done for us in giving grace where we have been the one committing the wrong.  

Choosing to see our perspective in Light.

If we want to accept that freedom Jesus is offering, the first step is seeing and owning where we have been wrong and forgiven and then letting go of the debts owed us. Resentment and bitterness are like a pot boiling over on a hot stove and the more we focus on them, the more the heat gets turned up. Turning to Jesus and fixing our eyes on His grace toward us turns the heat off the boiling bitterness.  In many situations it is the only way we will find healing from the scars on our souls. It’s not that we forget, but the healing and overcoming strength comes from putting everything in our life in relative importance to what Christ has done for us. The perspective we choose to give the most importance to can lead to freedom from bitterness or to bondage and imprisonment to the scars of the past. The choice is ours…