Jesus welcomed the people, taught them about the Kingdom of God and healed those in need. Luke 9:11

Seeds of the Kingdom

The Whole Picture

by Pam Smith

This plan of mine is not what you would work out, neither are my thoughts the same as yours! For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than yours, and my thoughts than yours.
Isaiah 55:8-9, LB

This week God has shown me how much higher and different his thoughts and ways are to mine. My three year old grand-daughter was being scolded by her mother, when she turned to her and explained, “But Mum. You’re not seeing the whole picture”. We too, often see things from our small point of view not really knowing where the other person is coming from.

We can see a situation and misread it or don’t know what caused it, or the preceding history. So I have learnt to take a long, hard look and try and understand what has gone on beforehand, and ask the Lord for His wisdom before easily jumping to conclusions.

Once I was first in a queue for a beef burger at a church barbeque. I was told to remember that the ‘first shall be last, and the last shall be first’, but I had rushed forward to get a bun for a friend who couldn’t walk. I didn’t like beef burgers anyway. How easily one can reach the wrong conclusion!

Also where tragedies and difficult things occur in our lives, and there seems no reason or answer, we can know and trust God, because He sees and understands the whole picture, but we can only see what’s in front of us.

But we should have more understanding than those in the world, and begin to see things from God’s perspective more and more, because now we’re able to sit in the heavenly realms with Christ (Ephesians 2:6). And strange as it seems, we Christians actually do have within us a portion of the very thoughts and mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16).

Prayer: Lord, may I grow in wisdom and discernment and always consider other ways of looking at situations, seeing them from your perspective, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Pam Smith has a background in art and nursing, has a son and two daughters and six grandchildren. She has been a friend and helper of Ellel Ministries since l992, and has been involved with Healing Through Creativity Courses. As writer of the Shepherd Love Series, she has a passion for the comfort and encouragement that leads people towards enjoying abundant Life in Jesus.

 

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