Perspective Matters!

 by Anusha Atukorala

Last year, my husband bought a new car. We’d spent a few months visiting numerous showrooms – sitting inside posh vehicles and whizzing around on numerous test drives, until Shan was sure what car would suit his needs best. One day we planned to pick up my niece after a conference she’d attended in Adelaide, to bring her home for a few days. 

We decided to visit one showroom, then drive down to another located past the city for a five minute peek, before picking up my niece at her city hotel. At first, all went according to plan. We spent a happy hour at the first showroom, with a competent and likeable car salesman who was very persuasive. However … my beloved was wise.

 
He thanked the salesman, said he’d get back to him and we drove off to the second one. That’s when the script changed. The five minutes we were to spend there expanded to 10 minutes, And then 20 … 30 … until, oh dear, it stretched to one full hour! I kept checking my watch – anxious we’d get late to get to my niece. But the salesman and his manager were lions about to pounce on their prey. 

Back and forth they went, bargaining with my beloved. Until … the manager gave us the perfect deal! Before I could say ‘Mazda 6’, my delighted man was signing on the dotted line. How did that happen? My sweet niece was very understanding about our delay when I informed her that we got a little later than planned because we had unexpectedly bought a brand new car!

 

It was actually a win win situation. Shan bought the car of his dreams at an excellent price while the car team got their sale. The former salesman had lost out because he did not strike while the iron was hot. Perhaps it was all about perspective? The manager who succeeded, viewed the sale from the customer’s perspective - not from his. He gave us exactly what we asked for! He was good at his job!

 

Perspective Matters! As writers who string words together, what should our perspective be? Is it simply to share the burning issues on our hearts or is to meet our readers where they are? I confess that I don’t always check out my readers’ perspective, since I’m often driven by my own experiences, through which I seek to encourage others. Maybe I need to consider the readers needs more than I do now.

 

The truth is that I am a picky reader, so other readers could be a lot like me. I return from a trip to the library, lugging 20 or 30 books home. Yes, books tempt me! And because I have so many waiting in my To Be Read pile, I don’t always persevere with a story I don’t enjoy in the first 20 or 30 pages. I know I can pick up a more pleasurable read in the blink of an eye. The books I get stuck into, usually have a rating of at least 7/10 (by me) in order for me to keep reading. Fussy? I’m afraid so! It tells me then that others readers too, might be like me, and so … their perspective matters.

 

Today I’d like to focus on another, more important perspective. God’s! Recently, as I studied 2 Corinthians chapter 4, I heard God’s whispers. The gems He showered me with, encouraged me no end, like a cold drink on a warm, summer’s day. I needed a fresh perspective about life in the kingdom and also needed to put on God’s wise discerning spectacles, in place of my clouded, earth-bound ones.

 

The  Seven R’s of the JESUS WAY through Trials:  

(2 Corinthians 4)

1.     Realise the truth about trials.

a.     They are Temporary – a miniscule blip in time compared to eternity

b.     They are also Tiny – compared to the joys that await us

2.     Refuse to give into Satan’s ploys

3.     Remember all God has done for me in the past

4.     Re-focus my eyes on God’s kingdom and His greatness

5.     Raise my eyes to the things unseen

6.     Rejoice in my riches in Christ

7.     Rest on God’s unfailing promises

So I fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen,

since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Cor 4:18

 

When you and I reach heaven, we just might realise that we spent too much time on stuff that did not matter and too little time on things that did. We might discover that the value system of heaven and its perspective is as different to ours here on earth as the wild, untamed ocean is to a grubby, small mud puddle!

 

So today, I pause and ask myself about my own viewpoint!

1 In my writing: Do I seek heaven’s perspective or one based just on the here and now? Will my writing count for eternity?

2 In my life as a believer: Is it based on what I see around me or on the things unseen in the heavenly realms? Am I living for eternity or living for the here and now?

 

Perspective matters! So in Perspective Matters, let’s have eyes that are able to see the things that count and will continue to count in eternity! Let’s have hearts that understand what God’s heart dwells on, what God requires of us and what God calls us to do. Dear beautiful friend, let’s hitch up our skirts and  roll up our trousers and dance through life, the Jesus way. Let our Lives, our Writing Lives, and our Relationships be viewed through God’s lenses. 

The one perspective that really matters is God’s, isn’t it? 

Oh may we see life through His eyes so we can love, write and live as God does!

 

“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Phil 3:13-14

Anusha’s been on many interesting detours in life, as a lab technician, a computer programmer, a full time Mum, a full time volunteer, a charity director, a full time job chaser, until one golden day (or was it a dark moonless night?) God tapped her on her shoulder and called her to write for Him. She has never recovered from the joy it brought her. She loves to see others enjoying life with Jesus and does her mite to hurry the process in her world through her writing and through her life. The goodness of God is her theme song through each season, as she dances in the rain with Jesus.

Her first book Enjoying the Journey contains 75 little God stories that will bring you closer to your Creator. Her 2^nd book Dancing in the Rain brings you hope and comfort for life’s soggy seasons. Her 3rd book, Sharing the Journey is a sequel to Enjoying the Journey. More books are on the pipeline as she researches them through life's challenges and blessings.

 

Do drop in on her two websites to say G’day! 

She’d love to connect with you.

Dancing in the Rain 

Light in the Darkness

  

Self-Determination (by Margaret Lepke)

Thirty years ago, self-determination was one of my goals. It meant autonomy, self-rule and independence. People all over the world are striving for it because they think it will make them happy. But then I learned that true happiness flows from a different source.

One day, one of my clients produced a Bible from her handbag and read me this verse: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:36). I didn't object to a God of love, but then she started talking about sin: There is no one righteous, not even one (Rom.3:10) - and I quickly protested. "I'm not a sinner! I'm not a liar, a thief or a murderer! To the contrary, I am a nice person. I help others!"

My lovely client was wise and did not argue. Instead, she read from Isaiah 53:6 that all of us like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him (meaning Christ) the iniquity (sin) of us all. And there it was: my own way. SELF-DETERMINATION. What I thought to be a virtue, God declared to be sin. And it bugged me. A lot! The Holy Spirit used this verse to convict me, to show me that self-rule - in the sense of not wanting to submit to a higher authority - was the very essence of sin.

This conviction immediately led to fear. Jesus once said: Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Matt. 20:28 and Luke 12:5). So if the God of the Bible truly existed, then I was truly in trouble because then I was guilty. I needed a pardon, and that very evening I turned to Jesus who had paid for my sins in His own body on the cross. I handed over the reins of my life and self-determination turned into God-determination. I thought that was the end of my 'self' determining things. But was it - really?

In regard to trusting God and following His lead it was. However – and this is a big however – when reading the Bible I soon discovered that I still had the responsibility of determining things. For example, Rom.12:2 told me that I should NOT conform to the pattern of this world, but that I should be transformed by the renewing of my mind. It wasn’t a passive thing that would just happen, but in obedience I had to actively do it myself. God is in the renovation business. He wants to renew my mind and my life and has given me all the tools I need. But it’s my responsibility to pick them up and put them to use so that I might run my race here on earth effectively. The Bible puts it this way:

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it (1Cor.9:24).
And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown (victor's wreath), but we for an imperishable crown (1Cor.9:25).

I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil.3:14).
For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done (Matt.16:27).

It became clear to me that my eternal reward is determined by what I do. Just as my eternal destination is determined by what I believe. Once I truly grasped this concept, it changed my whole attitude to the here and now. It's up to me to determine my future! Paul said in Phil.1:21, For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. And a plaque in our kitchen reads, Only one life, it’ll soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last. 

Do YOU think God's rewards are worth striving for? I certainly do. I gave up self-determination in order to follow Jesus, but then I took it back under God’s guidance to use for His eternal glory because any reward (or crown) I might receive will prove my gratitude and love for Him through my actions here on earth. What a glorious turn-around for self-determination! Praise God from whom all blessings flow…  

PS: 
My apologies for today’s topic not being on literary quests. I have recently had a new vision of the importance of providing for our eternal future and thought I might share it with you instead.

May your future hold great rewards for you - eternally!

With Christian love,
Margaret
www.drlepke.com.au
 

Having the eternal view by Susan Barnes

The year I became a Christian, Larry Norman recorded a gospel album called, "Only visiting this planet". At the time the thought that earth was not my permanent home was attractive. The apostle Paul had this in mind when he said, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18). I liked the idea that what I saw was not all there was. It had the air of adventure.

However time past, I married, started a family, bought a house. It became easy to put down roots and forget I was only a visitor. The idea that I am only visiting was no longer exciting. I had responsibilities that I enjoyed, raising children, maintaining a home and planning a future. It took effort to remind myself that what I see is temporary while God sees the eternal.

One of the reasons that Abraham, Noah, Enoch and Abel were commended in the hall of faith is because they remembered they were only visiting. Hebrews 11:13 reveals their attitude, "admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth." Likewise Peter writes, "Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles" (1 Peter 2:11).

When I have the view of a visitor it helps me cope with life's little irritations as well as the tragedies because I know there is more to life than what I see. When I find myself getting annoyed by temporary inconveniences, computer crashes, power cuts, car break downs, I pause and ask myself – will this matter in 5 years time? Will I even remember what I was upset about in 10 years time? Is it really worth worrying about now?

I can cultivate the attitude of a visitor because I know God sees the eternal and nothing can thwart his plans. I can trust him with my future.

OUR PRECIOUS TIME

None of us seems to have enough of this precious commodity. The Lord tells us to make the most of the time we have because of the very times we live in. As authors we have the great privilege having our words read by people we will probably never meet, so do we take enough time to make our stories count?

Anyone can dash off a story - it's done all the time. Yet to allow your reader to personally identify with our main character's struggles and triumphs means digging into our own soul. Even to baring things we'd hesitate to tell our best friend. Oh yes, creating genuine, true-to-life characters takes a lot of time. And it's time invested well.

Reading through some of our authors' posts gives a glimpse into the amount of time and effort involved in crafting a story with a great plot and characters with failings who finally win the battles they face outwardly and within themselves. To be able to trace how they deal with God's Holy Spirit working in their lives without a heavy hand takes loving finesse. Jesus, the master storyteller, shares His message beautifully without labouring the point. Likewise if we allow our readers to simply absorb our message it will stay with them for a long time.

The following is from the vantage point of someone who just ran out of TIME. Set to music on CD, if you'd like to be placed in a draw add your email (with spaces) to your comment.

Life was always full and busy so I never had the time 
To ever get to know Him very much at all,
So I told Him that I would someday, I really meant it then,
Still I was occupied and never heard Him call.

When His final call is given and the universe stands still,
When the sands of time run out and clocks won't chime,
When silence reigns and earth is hushed to hear the Father's will,
Eternity begins ... farewell the end of time.


So I asked myself the question when my time came to an end
Why I didn't even spare the Lord a glance
For I've found he is my judge and yet He could have been my friend,
Now time has gone and I've forever lost my chance.


I don't have time ... I don't have time.
That's how it was and how it ever more will be.
There'll be no time ... there'll be no time,
There'll be no time left in Eternity.

Rita Stella Galieh has two Australian Historical Romances published.

Fire in the Rock & Signed Sealed Delivered, Book I of the Watermark Women Trilogy

See her website at www.ritastellagalieh.com