When You’re Too Close to See

Can I have a heart-to-heart with you?

Some days are just hard. You’re not sure if you’re coming or going. You don’t know if you’re making progress or slowly sliding downhill. Sometimes life is just too close to get an accurate picture.

Sometimes life is just too close to get an accurate picture. Click To Tweet

We’re all there at times. We all wonder:

• Where am I?
• Where am I going?
• What’s up ahead?
• Why can’t I see?
• Will I ever break into the open?

I remember coming out of Radio City Music Hall late one night to unfamiliar surroundings. Unable to find a landmark or use the sun to get my bearings, I panicked, hailed a cab, and fled for home. Usually I rode buses and subways or even walked everywhere I went. But one moment of panic led me to react and run for cover.

In similar ways, life can feel like it’s crowding in on you at times. Like the photo above, you can see a sliver of the sky, but not enough to know where you are. In these moments, we question ourselves in ways that seem silly on a normal day. When we’ve slipped into relying on our own, limited perspective, several key emotions rise to the surface:

• weariness
• discouragement
• fear/panic
• frustration
• anxiety
• apathy
• doubt
• grief
• impatience
• loss of vision
• loss of hope

 

Please hear me: You’re not alone. There is One who sees it all and longs to lead you to the other side.

There is One who sees it all and longs to lead you to the other side. Click To Tweet

“But you, God, shield me on all sides; You ground my feet, you lift my head high; With all my might I shout up to God, His answers thunder from the holy mountain.” Psalm 3:3-4 MSG

Your Creator never intended for you to have it all figured out. He doesn’t get upset if you don’t see the whole picture. He knows your limitations and has given Himself to be your sufficiency. Just this morning I was reading Philippians 4:13 with some friends. The Amplified Bible summarizes it this way:

“I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency.”

What a beautiful picture of the partnership Jesus presents to us:

the life, wisdom, and power of the Father,
made available to us through Jesus,
lived through us by the Holy Spirit.

Could you ask for anything more?

 

The key is learning to access God's perspective. Click To Tweet

The key is learning to access God’s perspective. Without seeing the critical, bigger plan and purpose (even in bits and pieces), you can easily loose your hold on peace and stop short of your destiny. May I offer a few suggestions from my own journey:

1. Be still. When panic tries to drive the car of your life, stillness silences its voice and allows you space to hear the Holy Spirit.
2. Listen. Don’t pause and then fill the space with your own anxiety. Allow the Holy Spirit time to lift your gaze and tune your ears.
3. Remember. Revisit what He has taught you in the past. Let Him remind you of the landmarks He has placed along the journey this far.
4. Surround yourself with a community who love God’s voice and will speak life to you. Many times God uses those around us to give us His perspective.
5. Align your thoughts with the truth of God’s Word. Don’t let the temporary giants of the land block your view of the Son. Remind yourself of God’s truth and earthly facts will shrink in comparison.
6. Embrace praise. Nothing keeps you teachable more than choosing to praise God for who He is even if you don’t understand what He’s doing.

One last thought. Let’s look at the scripture from the top of this post again:

“But you, God, shield me on all sides; You ground my feet, you lift my head high; With all my might I shout up to God, His answers thunder from the holy mountain.” Psalm 3:3-4 MSG

When you feel hemmed in by life, overwhelmed by what you cannot see, remember there is One who stands between you and the details of this world. Close your eyes and visualize Jesus as your fortress, shielding you on all sides. In the tight quarters, He is grounding your feet in His love and lifting your head to see His confident smile. When you call to Him, expect to hear Him answer from His holy mountain.

This One is your fearless Champion.