Gotta Work on My "IFs"

Roast of the day: Medium

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths." - Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)

If you're someone that is familiar with the Bible, I'm sure you probably recognize this passage. Like many of you, I've read these particular verses countless times. It's a Scripture passage that is both a proverb and a promise. It wasn't until recently that God revealed a new insight to me that I wanted to share.

Like many of the promises found in Scripture, this passage can really be broken down into an IF - THEN statement. If we trust in the Lord with all our hearts...If we don't depend on our own understanding...If we seek Him in all we do - Then He will direct our paths.

I think there are too many times that I want the "then" without the effort of the "if." I find myself asking God to help guide me or direct me in an upcoming decision without fully examining how I've been fulfilling my "if" requirements. Have I been trusting the Lord with ALL my heart? Is it possible that I've been leaning too heavily on my own knowledge and understanding? Have I truly been seeking His will in ALL I do? This is not legalism - this is showing love and devotion.

Lord, help me work on my ifs, before expecting the promises of Your thens.

Getting the right perspective...

Perception is reality. Think about it. Although I believe that truth is absolute, especially as it relates to my faith and core beliefs, it seems to me that one's perception of a truth, or a situation, defines that person's reality.

There's an older movie that I watched a few years back called Vantage Point. I believe the movie's premise illustrates my point. The characters of the movie all witness the same event, but from different "vantage points." Because of their differing perspectives and perceptions of what has taken place, each character's reality of the situation is a bit different.

I know this truism also plays a role in my life. As I perceive different situations at home and in the workplace, I'm sure that I react according to the reality I've created. But what if my reality is not shared by others involved, what then? I submit that this is how many misunderstandings and conflicts get started. How then, can one be better equipped to handle such situations?

Getting the proper perspective is essential, both in life and in specific situations. If our perception is indeed our reality, it would follow that we should take great measures to insure that our perspective is accurate. The old adage of putting yourself in someone else's shoes, or looking at the issue through their eyes holds true. We could all benefit by Dr. Stephen Covey's fifth habit of "Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood."

If our 'vantage point' was different, would we react in the same manner...?