I get to mow the lawn most Saturday’s. I use a small lawn mower, and it takes about 5 hours of my waking time to do a great job with the lawn. And of course, I still have reading to do, I have a post to write, I have a family to raise – complete with homework and the practices. You know them – Soccer, swimming, piano et al. I have lots of messages to respond to as well as visioning to do for the people I lead. Shouldn’t I complain that it is too much? No. I noticed that when I complained about it, I became stuck in the rut. If I instead slightly changed my perspective and embraced the challenge, counting it a privilege, God expanded my capacity to thrive and grow.

 

Perspective Matters

Jesus once sent 70 disciples on an evangelistic tour, a marketing campaign if you will. A foray to preach the gospel and advertise the slogan “The Kingdom of God is come nigh unto you”. They went and came back with high conversion rates. They were giddy like little children offered candy, and with excitement exclaimed “Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name“. Jesus acknowledge their success and shared in their joy. He then helped shift their perspective slightly, by letting them know that their joy shouldn’t be in the fact that Satan was routed, but in the truth that they are chosen to be worthy of the job.

 

Changing Perspective

A slight change in your perception of circumstance, particularly those that pertain to your daily mundane, could be all it takes to leap from amateur to professional, from obscurity to renown. The details matter, the punctuation marks, the handshake, the hat choice – all these distinguish great work from good work. And to get to this level of detail, there needs to be a shift in perceptive. It’s not that you have to do God’s work, it’s that you get to do it. It’s not that you are burdened with caring for your parents, it’s that God appointed you to lead. It’s not that you get to put up with your wife, it’s that you get to love her as Christ loves “good ole sinner-you”. A slight change in perspective will propel you forward.

 

Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice , because your names are written in heaven – Luke 10:20