Have you ever been worn out? I’m not talking about the kind of tired that comes after a good workout. And, I’m not talking about when work or school has you tired from a crazy a week. I’m referring to more of a deep, just about had it, kind of feeling. One where you feel like you just need about a month to go to the woods and just walk, think, and decompress.
To be transparent, that happens to me at times. To be even more transparent, working in Christian work/ministry can be really tough. It is so easy to get discouraged and frustrated with our brothers and sisters in the Church. I have the unfortunate pleasure of seeing the ugly side of Christian organizations from time to time. Yes, there is an ugly side to every organization or ministry. They are run by people and people -this side of heaven- are nowhere near perfect and this translates through every organization, Christian or not.
If we (I) are not careful, we can quickly become cynical, disengaged, disinterested, and negative about Christian ministry and work. When that creeps in, we begin looking at people rather than God…when really we should be looking at people THROUGH God. God loves all of us enough to provide unlimited grace and ultimate and instant forgiveness for all of our faults…past, present, and future! When we look through His lens of grace, we begin to have empathy for others, rather than disdain.
I’ve been struggling with this issue lately and this morning Oswald Chamber’s “My Utmost” really helped me renew my spirit. It discussed the significance of clouds and their association with God. Clouds represent our sorrows, struggles, bad circumstances, frustration, frustrating people, etc. Those situations in our lives that seem to contradict God. Yet, it is through those clouds that God is teaching us how to walk by faith. In the Bible, clouds are often associated with God’s presence. The clouds come along with Him, but he always appeared through them and then the clouds seemed to vanish or blur out and the focus then turned to Him.
It’s not that God wants to teach us something through the clouds or our trials; it’s that He wants us to unlearn something. That is, He wants to simplify our relationship with Him and bring us back to that child-like faith where all that matters is Him and the rest of the “noise” is ignored.
So, whatever clouds are in your life today, look for God in them, and then focus on Him. The clouds will blur out and your perspective will change.
A changed perspective often leads to a changed circumstance.
