Three people were visiting and viewing the Grand Canyon — an artist, a pastor and a cowboy. As they stood on the edge of that massive abyss, each one responded with a cry of exclamation. The artist said, “Ah, what a beautiful scene to paint!” The minister cried, “What a wonderful example of the handiwork of God!” The cowboy mused, “What a terrible place to lose a cow!”
It’s a matter of perspective. We see each moment through the lens of our circumstance and life experience. The cowboy, minister and artist, shared the same experience, but their reactions were all different, yet each statement was valid in their opinion.
In the Believer’s walk, we are to speak the truth with love, and if someone’s perspective of God is distorted by their life experience and circumstance, we have the wonderful opportunity to share a seed of the Good News with them. Please note I mentioned a seed, not a bushel basket! Remember it takes time for the seed to grow. Some folks think that God is mad at them, and we can recognize that as a valid statement, but it is not accurate. God so loved the world…. Some folks think that God puts sickness on a person to teach them something or to correct them, again that is a valid thought, but not Biblically accurate. Sickness is part of the curse. Others think that because they were raised poor they must remain poor, a valid idea, considering one’s life experience and circumstances, but distorted and not true according to the Gospel. According to the Good News of Jesus, God loves you, and corrects us with His word, and Jesus redeemed Believer’s from all of the curse, including the curse of poverty.
Before and after a person comes to know Jesus as their savior, they will have some opinion about God, that right or wrong, is valid because it is their perspective according to their life experience and circumstance. Is that a hard thing to accept? That someone may have a wrong idea about God yet it is still valid in their opinion because it comes from their life experience and circumstance?
Can you admit to God that you had some wrong thinking about Him in your past? I can. Everyone has at one time or another, but as they say, when we know better, we do better, thank God.
Folks, people are starving to hear the truth of the entire Gospel, not only about the believer’s eternal life as wonderful as that is. Jesus died so we could have so much more, and it is up to the Believer to work with the Holy Spirit and speak the truth with love.
The next time I see a picture of the enormity of the Grand Canyon, in the back of my mind I will be hoping no one has lost a cow.
Until next time, God bless you and your loved ones.
