“you’re going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.”
— obi-wan kenobi
a point of view is a powerful thing. i’m thinking in particular about the examples of famous missionaries who gave up everything for God. i think of their lives and feel ashamed at all the things i haven’t achieved. and then there are famous scientists, businessmen and so on, all of them showing qualities i long for but never attain. an easy point of view to take is the view from below looking up. these people of great stature and renown look very big and scary from down here, and i feel very small. but i’m reminded of the israelite spies in the land of canaan, who saw the giant inhabitants and were afraid. and saul’s army who looked up at goliath and refused to fight. and the answer is simple – shift your point of view. if you look from God’s perspective, looking down from infinitely high above, everyone’s pretty much the same height, physically and morally. and all of us are much smaller than God! we all need the same grace.
so should the examples of great men of God cause me to quake in fear or sulk in misery, or i should i use their success to fuel my own enthusiasm, an encouragement that any of us insignificant people can be made significant by the transforming power of an omnipotent God working in us from the inside out?
the latest star wars films, and the force unleashed game, throw a whole new point of view open on darth vader. they help us to understand how someone so good can fall so low.
the manger and the cross of Jesus show us how such fallen people as you and me can rise up higher than we ever deserve.