The Long Perspective – Sunday, January 06, 1985
The wisdom and glory of the Lord is due in part to His ability to view events from an eternal perspective and judge their consequences by that much more accurate measure.
We, of course, do not have this ability to the degree that the Lord does, but we can in a very modest and definitive way make use of the divine attribute of perspective.
The ability to see things from different perspectives is one characteristic which sets human beings apart from all other creatures, and the extended perspective is one of our most useful vantage points.
The farmer plowing a straight furrow is not usually watching the ground immediately in front of him. He is focusing on a point at the end of his field to get a longer perspective on his work and keep his rows straight.
The draftsman at his desk or the carpenter at his craft find that the longer the measuring device the more accurate the calculation.
The best way for an explorer to make his way through trackless country is by pointing to a distant landmark.
If he concentrates on the area right at his feet, he will soon be traveling in circles.
When ancient navigators learned to take their bearings from the far perspective of the stars, new worlds opened to them.
But a long perspective is more than a handy tool for guidance and navigation—more than an implement for agriculture or architecture. Applied to our lives, a lengthy perspective can give us valuable direction and wisdom.
Rarely do we make bad decisions from taking too long a perspective. Usually, it is the opposite problem. We don’t look far enough ahead to see the implications of our actions, and so we get diverted by immediate needs and desires. We may waste our strength in endless side paths and activities that seem momentarily important, but don’t contribute to our progress.
They may even add to our difficulties and discomfort. The short-term joy of owning a new possession may lead to the long-term burden of extended debt. The short-term pleasure of idleness and procrastination may only produce long term frustration and failure as we find ourselves unprepared to face later challenges. Succumbing to momentary pleasures of our appetites can subject us to long-term health problems and giving in to the dubious satisfactions of sin can ultimately stop our spiritual growth and development.
On the other hand, once we establish a long-term goal, it does amazing things for our progress. Our mind can then become an internal guidance system directing us to our distant goals.
And, as we align our goals with the eternal perspective of the Lord, we feel the peace and satisfaction of knowing that at no time in the future will we look back in sorrow and wish we had done things differently. We will be content that our thoughts and actions are taking us where we ultimately want to go. And that the Lord can and will help us to get there.
January 06, 1985
Broadcast Number 2,890