Shifting Perspectives

You would never know from these photos that we were not deep in a winter wonderland…unless, I showed you the second photo of the speed limit sign. In reality we were right by the main canyon road and just off of another road that goes up to the normal sledding spots further into the mountains. With a slight shift of perspective, my camera only saw the snowy wonderland and not the road a few steps behind us. One view was an ugly, muddy mess, and the other view was beautiful and magical.

On our drive up, sad thoughts suddenly hit me as I remembered old adventures. We can’t do the same things anymore due to my husband’s health condition. I missed those old days with more freedom. I felt the tears well up as the memories of those difficult days flooded my mind like a storm surge. I’ve learned I can’t really control when those things will hit, and I can’t shove them away. It’s like I’ve been put in front of a big screen of my worst moments, looming large. While I can’t change that happening sometimes, I’ve learned I can choose to shift my perspective. I shift my gaze upward and ask God to help me. I shift my focus to the present and remember what a gift it is to be breathing right now. Then, I can turn a 180 and walk the other direction into hope for the future.

I couldn’t change that the muddy road was right behind us, but I also didn’t have to dwell on it or include it in my images. It was there, unchanging, but I had the choice to focus on the most beautiful things. We’ve been through loss - loss of health, loss of loved ones - but that doesn’t have to be what takes up my entire view. I can shift my perspective. In fact, because I have loss in my reality I can better appreciate and savor the good and beautiful things in my life. I’m more aware of what an incredible gift it is to be alive today! I don’t rush so fast, looking for the next thing, but go slower and look more intently for the gifts God has given me. And I can thank him for the loss being a part of my story. There’s brokenness, but it won’t be like that forever. One day it will all be perfect, restored, whole, beautiful. “I”m not suffering from anything a good resurrection can’t fix.” (D. A. Carlson) I have so much in my life that is so incredibly beautiful, and the hope I have in Jesus gives me so much to look forward to. By shifting my perspective loss becomes the contrast that makes the gifts and joys of the present even more beautiful, and tempers the heartache with the reminder that what is broken now won’t stay that way forever. Because of Jesus, what I’ve lost isn’t gone, but waiting for me in eternity.