Perspective...

Do not be conformed
to this world,
but be transformed
by the renewal
of your mind,
that by testing
you may discern
what is the will of God,
what is good
and acceptable and perfect.

~Romans 12:2

What a great verse! OK... like there are any bad verses. This verse speaks volumes to the view from the beach. We are Earth creatures, certainly. Born and raised on this planet and indoctrinated with an Earth perspective from the moment we begin to breathe its air.

It's hard to think of life from any other perspective. None comes more natural than the one we're born with... the one that looks to the world around us to define ourselves, our purpose, our relationship, and even our God. It's kind of sad when you think about it... to see things as thought it's up to humanity to determine its own destiny. Looking at the world from the point of view that humans are "it" is like looking at the beauty of the ocean by staring at the shore. Have you ever done that? Stared at the shore?

Don't get me wrong, I love the sand beneath my feet in a major way. But when you head to the beach, which direction do you want to face? Do you turn your chair or towel facing inland or do you seat yourself so you can look across the ocean?

The picture at the beginning of this post looks back at the shore. It's full of debris. (And that was a relatively untouched-by-humans segment of the beach.) There's tons of trash. Burned wood. Washed-up seaweed. Eroding dunes. Even cigarette butts and old bottles and cans. And yicky bandaids. Ewww...

That's the view the world has to offer. You can go to the beach and opt to face inland and focus your heart on all the world has going for it. The trash left by others (or even yourself). The burned relationships. The washed-up dreams. The eroding values. The relics of self-abuse through addictions. The hurts and diseases or the body, mind, spirit, and soul. You really can choose to revel in those things.

Or you can turn your chair around and look at the ocean. See its power and might. Realize that, though the shoreline is ever-changing, the ocean is constant and mighty and sure. It wipes clean the debris from the shore. It clears off the mess made by man.


Looking out over the ocean, you can fix your heart on the One Who resides beyond the glassy sea. The One Who created the world. The One Who rescued its people from the trash heap of what we create when we try to live according to our own (super-flawed) perceptions of the world, instead of relying on Him.

Tell you what, let's try an experiment. Let's agree that as we wake up each morning and head out onto the beach of our lives, we'll face our chairs toward the ocean. Let's keep our minds off the debris and on the sparkling sea... well, on the One Whose throne sits beyond the crystal waves.

Let's jump into the Love Letter that He's written to give us His perspective on His Creation. It tells us how things work. Goodness, if there were an instruction manual for life that would help you through every single situation you ever face, wouldn't you snag it in a heartbeat and pour over its pages???!!!

Good news! There is! It's called the Bible. Our Creator wrote it so that we'd know Him and make good choices in our time here on Earth.

So let's do it! Let's be transformed!