>Perspective

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Sometimes when I’m having a bad day, I need a little perspective on things. I must confess, I don’t always want it, but I need it!

Why? Well, primarily because I tend to let my bad days keep me from communing with my wonderful Savior. I frequently feel like the author of Psalm 102:23-24a. “He has weakened my strength in the way; He has shortened my days. I say, ‘O my God, do not take me away in the midst of my days…’”

My problem is that I stop there. Psalm 102:24-28, on the other hand, continues from there with an acknowledgment of the perseverance of God and His heritage. It reminds me that when I consider my life in light of His eternity rather than in light of this temporary mortal life, my sufferings really are, in the words of Paul, “light and momentary” (2 Cor 4:17).

Psalm 56 is the picture of someone who is experiencing a bad day that is worse than anything I’ve experienced. He pretty much feels crushed and abandoned on all sides. But, the important thing is that he maintains His communion with God.

• He consciously works to maintain his trust in the Lord in the middle of his circumstances (Ps 56:3-4,10-11). He doesn’t wait until his bad day is over to restore his trust in the Lord. He makes sure that the trust stays active and in place in the midst of the situation.

• He reminds himself that God is aware of his struggles, even when his circumstances don’t support that truth (Ps 56:8,13).

• He chooses to praise the Lord, no matter how rotten he feels. (Ps 56:9-10)

When I’m wallowing in self-pity over my blahness, depression, or deprivation, I would rather not maintain communion with Christ because I honestly don’t want to recognize that it’s not about me. It’s about Him. And, it’s hard to stay blah when I recognize that it truly is about Him!

The psalmist truly did have it all figured out. No matter how bad our day may be, when we maintain that communion with Jesus Christ, our perspective becomes eternal, our joy is restored, and our problems really do become light and momentary!