Trying it again...

     The truth is that I just love these pictures and wanted to put them in a blog....

     Last week on Friday I tried to include one of them in a blog about perspectives.  Which was fine then but this is now... Meaning, as I've already indicated, on Friday I was full of gratitude and looking on the bright side.  But perspective comes and goes with me on a daily basis, sometimes an hourly basis.

    HOnestly, that's kind of how it is with me.

   It's discouraging. 

   Then someone pointed out to me that "mature Christian" doesn't mean that you go steadily through each day with no great highs or lows emotionally.  Somehow, I really thought that if I kept reading my Bible, praying, going to church, etc.   that someday my life would be one seamless tapestry along the lines of Melanie in Gone with the Wind.   

   But this person pointed out that calmly floating through life without expressing strong emotions is really.. um... Stoicism - which was a popular philosophy in pagan Rome.  Which isn't exactly Christian...

   So I get that - it's okay to be sad, joyful, even angry on occasion.

   And that cheered me up because those things I definitely can do!

   But there's a catch...  A mature Christian doesn't get torqued because someone got their parking place at the mall.  (Even, as one of my friends said, if you have your blinker on and that person knows good and well that  it's your spot!!!!"  Even then, it's not Biblically  correct to call the interloper ugly names or speculate about their family heritage.  Bummer....)

   This is the deal - true love causes two hearts to beat as one. When we truly love God, our hearts should pitter-pat in sync with His. Which means that His joy is our joy and His grief is ours as well.  In other words, His perspective becomes mine.  

  

    And honestly, that's going to take a while...

    In the meantime, I love this from the Discover God Bible:

    "Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens   He never changes or casts a shifting shadow."  James 1:17 (Italics mine.)

      Which means "Because God never changes my future is secure and eternal."  p. 2226

      Which means that His perspective never changes and His joys and sorrows are always right on target.  And I think these pictures kind of give that impression.