Perspectives

We live in a world and time where our individual perspective sets a relative truth for each one of us. Evidence for this fact can been seen by looking at our common sayings - "perception is reality" or "whatever works for you as long as no one gets hurt"; or movies "What I said (to you about your father) is true, from a certain point of view" - Obi-Wan Kenboi, Star Wars 1977. While living in relativity seems like a good thing as it holds us to be less accountable than what we should be, it is a slippery slope down a path of destruction.
There is in fact a right and a wrong. I have been reading in the Old Testament, Book of Judges and a repeating them though out the Book is something to the fact of  "Israel did evil in the eyes of the Lord" or "In that time Israel had no king, everyone did what was right in his own eyes." What I am starkly reminded of is the fact that there is a yes / no; black/white; right/wrong; in most situations. Those absolutes are set within all of us by our creator! If we listen and are honest most everyone (even young children) can differentiate good from bad and it is not negotiable dependant on our perspective. I think of the mountain that I climbed last week, looking at it from the ground it was rather imposing but from an airplane it would not seem as majestic; however the change in perspective dose not change the enormity of the mountain. It is still a mountain and still huge!
The task set before my family and the team we are serving on, to plant a national believing church in the nation of Italy. The task seems monumental and I am sure at some point in time while in the midst of it that perspective may change. It will seem like progress is being made and that success in our endeavor will come, but that will not change the fact that it is purely amazing.
As a Christian my perspective has changed as I try to take one the eyes of my savior. I try to envision a situation through His eyes. While I can see things as Christ does, it does not change the fact that there are still things that are good/bad. The difference should come in the response to those situations as we choose to operate in grace as grace has been freely given. But Jesus, being full of perfect grace, was not unwilling or afraid to call out impropriety. His perspective was always focused on the advancement of God's will being done on the earth as should ours be!