Perspective

When was the last time you drove through a dense fog?

The kind where you couldn’t see beyond the front of your car? Disconcerting, isn’t it? Squinting and leaning forward as you grip the wheel tightly, you were probably trying to identify the white lines on the edges of the road, praying that you would stay on course. You likely decreased your speed so that you’d have more time to react if something came into view that you needed to quickly avoid. Maybe you were concentrating on looking for the tail lights of another vehicle that might be lurking ahead in the ominous cloud in front of you.

What thoughts were going through your mind as you continued to drive? Mine usually start with a stressed and anxious, “Lord, please help!”  

Life can be a lot like that.

Painful situations can happen unexpectedly and suddenly, overwhelming us and prompting us to cry out desperately for God’s help. Trauma and loss can leave us reeling as we try to find and adjust to our new ‘normal’. We may feel so disoriented that we aren’t sure how to move forward.

Maybe something just doesn’t turn out like we planned, causing us to slow down and re-evaluate. We wonder if we are still on track. “God, should I have gone another way?” we may ask. Fear of making more perceived mistakes can cause us to freeze altogether, keeping us from moving forward in faith to the next step God has for us.

Think back to what it was like to be in that car, driving through the fog. What was your greatest need? You needed a clear vision of what was happening around you and in front of you. You needed the fog to lift so that you could have a clear PERSPECTIVE.

 “God, where are you?”

One way to gain perspective is to ask God this question: “Where are you?” Your first reaction to reading this this might be to think that the question is an expression of doubt. “How dare I question God? Doesn’t that mean that I am not trusting his plans for my life?” It can be if we stay there.

Sometimes we are so disoriented by our feelings of pain or confusion that we can’t see Him. But we can be sure that He IS present and He has a specific purpose for us in the fog. David wrote in Psalm 139:

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”

Paul also wrote in Romans 8: 28-29 that, “all things work together for the good of those that love God, to those that are called according to his purpose.”

I believe that this question can be an expression of faith if we reframe it. One of my favorite coaching questions to ask people who are feeling stuck is, “What do you think God is doing in your life through this?” Seeing the situation from His perspective can give us the vision we need to move forward in deepening faith, rather than staying trapped by a victim mindset. We gain insight into how he is forming our hearts. From this standpoint, we cooperate with God in what He wants to do in us, rather than walling ourselves off from Him in pain, distrust and unbelief. We can begin to heal! We can also start to take ownership of our attitudes and reactions, choosing to actively seek His purpose instead of wallowing in self-pity. We look outward again to and ask how we might serve God and others because of what we are experiencing.

When we are in the fog, we can choose to activate our faith in God’s promise and say something like this: “God, I believe you are here and doing something for your glory and my good. Please help me to see you.”  God delights in our desire to trust him. When we are looking for Him, He will surely show us where He is at work.

The time we spend in the fog can be so very transformational if we allow God to make it so. As Romans 5: 3-4 says, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. “

What might God want you to see about his presence in the fog of your life today?