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It's something like what Coach John McKay of USC said to his team after they had been humiliated 51-0 by Notre Dame. McKay came into the locker room and saw a group of beaten worn-out and thoroughly depressed young football players who were not accustomed to losing. He stood up on a bench and said, "Men, let's keep this in perspective. There are 800 million Chinese who don't even know this game was played." That's what you call perspective. Steve Farrar, Family Survival in the American Jungle, 1991, Multnomah Press, p. 40. Today I want us to think about our perspective. Here’s what’s going on. A large group of people, oh say, 5,000, just experienced the miracle of a lifetime. It’s as if the entire population of Soldotna, Alaska were down on the peninsula listening to a speaker and he brought out some snacks. However, it turned out to be five McDonald’s cheeseburgers and three fish sticks. Can you imagine the reactions when that small amount of food fed them all? And heaven-forbid, they were full! Then the speaker leaves and the crowd hunts him down to figure out how it happened. Instead of satifsfying their curiosity, he corrects their motives. The speaker tells the crowd they aren’t searching because they saw a miracle, it’s because they were completely full. They wonder how they could feel so great from such a small meal. The speaker gives them a peculiar answer. Yes, the speaker is Jesus. The crowd is full of adults & children hanging out by the Sea of Galilee. This story comes in the midst of the only miracle (except Jesus’ resurrection) that is recorded in all four Gospel accounts. Jesus just used simple food items from daily life to illustrate He is the life-changing meal we all need. The crowd, however, is searching for more answers. They work to climb the ladder of success. Jesus tells them not to work for food that spoils. What does that mean? It’s working so hard for a promotion that we neglect quality time with our family. It’s getting so obsessed with fitting into a group that we forget we’re a unique child of God who has many special talents and gifts. It’s nearing the end of our journey and realizing our vision was cluttered with negativity the whole time. What’s your perspective on the world? Is it mostly a positive or negative place to live? I surveyed six friends and four of the six thought it was mostly negative. One said our perspective depends on the culture we are born into. A friend, Mike, said positivity will always be greater than the negativity. Andrea, a friend from Indiana, believes people mostly focus on the negative things. And Kelly put it this way, "I think people are living their lives with a lot of guilt and the media doesn’t help. I think people in today's world are blaming others for their own mistakes to make things better for them, when in all actuality it only makes things worse. I really wish i could say positive, but I can come up with more negative than positive." You’ve probably heard the saying life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. That’s a healthy perspective on life. Here are some honest perspectives on things we’ve probably all thought. When the other person acts that way, he’s ugly When you do it, it’s nerves. When she’s set in her ways, she’s obstinate When you are, it’s just firmness. When he doesn’t like your friends, he’s prejudiced When you don’t like his, you’re showing good judgement. When she tries to be accommodating, she's apple-polishing.. When you do it, you're using tact. When she picks flaws, she's cranky... When you do it, you're discriminating. When other people take a long time to do something, they're slow; When we take a long time, we're thorough. When they don't do something, they're lazy; When we don't, we're too busy. When they succeed, they're lucky; When we do, we deserve it. Anonymous, Christopher News Notes, June 1992. Does this resonate with you? Have you thought these things before? It’s funny how we live by only seeing part of the picture. We get upset about situations before we try to see it from the other person’s view. It’s so important for us to be reminded we are only seeing a miniscule portion of a massive painting. Picture your life as a beautiful wall moral that fills this entire wall behind me. Maybe it’s painted with flowers, green rolling meadows and two deer quietly playing in the stream. Or maybe it’s full of earthquakes, tornado’s and upheaval. Either way, the only part you can see is a section one foot by one foot. Of course, we believe we see the whole thing. We dream of our futures, reflect on our past and wish for more in the present, but only God sees the entire wall. It can be frustrating but here is the entire point. When we change our perspective on the world, we give up the desire to see the rest of our painting. We hand the brush back to God knowing only God can turn it into the masterpiece it should be. When Goliath came against the Israelites, the soldiers all thought, "He's so big we can never kill him." David looked at the same giant and though, "He's so big I can't miss." God Can Make It Happen (Victor). It’s amazing how things turn around when our perspective turns with it. God doesn’t want us to work for things that will spoil. God wants us to have the food that endures forever! So now we ask, okay God…yes I would rather spend my time on earth going after the things that last forever then wasting time on the other. But how? Verse 29 gives the answer. It sounds too simple. "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." Now of course, the crowd wants to see a miracle because we humans just can’t grasp how God thinks. The crowd asks Jesus, "Please show us a sign so we’ll believe you! What will you do? Our forefathers received bread from heaven." Jesus tells the crowd it wasn’t Moses that caused the manna to fall from the skies, it was God. God gave the Israelites the true bread from heaven. That true bread is Jesus Christ who gave life to the world. So God wants us to simply believe in the one he has sent. To me, that also means we need to view the world the way Jesus did. It was a radical view over 2,000 years ago. Nothing has changed. It is still an extreme perspective. From my limited understanding of God’s ways, I believe God wants us to simply love. To love our family, our spouse, our friends, our world. To love like we’ve never loved before, without judgement and pretenses. To love each and every person who crosses our path. It’s quite a tall order. A friend of mine says, "I know God doesn’t give me more than I can handle, I just wish God didn’t trust me so much!" I believe God wants us to accept people regardless of how our human eyes see them. Imagine a world where we saw each person as a child of God. What beauty we would see everyday! It’s about being open. Openness is essentially the willingness to grow, a distaste for ruts, eagerly standing on tip-toe for a better view of what tomorrow brings. I believe God wants us to forgive and live like we’re FREE. Life is too short to be a minute from freedom. And I believe God wants us to slow down and enjoy this life we’ve been given. There is a time for productivity, passion, and excitement. But there is a very rightful place for learning to be quiet. To be still and know that God is God. I once saw a quote that said, "If the world didn’t crash when God rested, then it won’t crash when I do." We have to admit our perspectives are hard to change. How can we even begin to change this world when there seems to be so much wrong with it? This fact might give some cause for encouragement. Behavioral studies show that if 2% of a homogeneous group are strongly dedicated to a given cause, and that small minority can eventually move the whole. (Association of Church Missions Commissions Newsletter, Autumn, 1989, p. 1.) If we desire a different perspective, then it begins with our own set of eyes. A short-term missionary met a leper on the island of Tobago. On the final day, he was leading worship in the leper colony. He asked if anyone had a favorite song. When he did, a woman turned around, and he saw the most disfigured face he’d ever seen. She had no ears and no nose. Her lips were gone. But she raised a fingerless hand and asked, "Could we sing ‘Count Your Many Blessings?" The missionary started the song but couldn’t finish. Someone later commented, "I suppose you’ll never be able to sing the song again." He answered, "No, I’ll sing it again, just never in the same way." I believe God wants our perspective to be heavenly. To see the world through God’s eyes. All things will fade away at some point and it’s up to us now, to take seriously the time we’ve been given. To make a difference. To stop letting days go by without telling people we love them. To stop being selfish and give to others without a second thought. To give our time to someone who is hurting. The Scripture today tells us God gives us the eternal nourishment we need to believe in God. Let us pray for God’s perspective on the world. It is definitely of the utmost positive respect. There’s a classic song by Amy Grant that says it all. "She's got her father's eyes, Eyes that find the good in things, When good is not around, Eyes that find the source of help, when help just can't be found, Eyes full of compassion, seein' every pain, Knowing what you're going through, and feelin' it the same. We ask this morning a simple request. Jesus asked the crowd to believe in the One God sent. We ask today for a new set of eyes. A new way of seeing this world. With our Father’s eyes. |
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08.15.04 - Our Father’s Eyes (John 6:25-32)
