His Perspective; Not Our Own
During women’s group this morning, we were talking about the importance of asking the Lord to help us see things from his perspective and not our own. This became a part of our conversation when discussing and questioning what it means to “use our shield of faith” described in Ephesians 6:16. What we discovered, as we dug deeper and discussed further, is that the shield of faith protects us when we face insults, setbacks, or temptations. And, the insults, setbacks and temptations that we face ARE NOT from God; instead, they come from Satan, our enemy who wants to kill, steal and destroy.
So, in order for us to be protected from him, the Lord has given us the shield of FAITH. And, in order for it to protect us, we have to USE it. In other words, when things don’t go the way that we want or expect them to, it is our faith that encourages us to spend time with God. And by faith we talk to him, we ask for understanding, we gain his perspective and ultimately that leads to peace.
Over a week ago, I had the opportunity to practice this after welcoming our second family into The Upper Room for end-of-life care. I will preface this by saying that things did not go as we had hoped or planned. And, I was struggling a bit. I was looking back wondering if I should have done something differently. I was frustrated because my plans that day were thwarted. And, I was sad because I felt like an opportunity was missed. Yet, I KNEW God was in control, and that I needed ONE THING that day to find peace. TO SPEND TIME WITH HIM.
So I did. And, here is my writing from that day:
5/6/25
I was preparing in prayer early this morning, for our second resident in The Upper Room, John. And, I was led to Hebrews 2:14,15 which says:
“Because God’s children are human beings- made of flesh and blood- the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to death.”
Then, my prayer was this:
That fear would flee! That John and his family would tangibly FEEL peace and comfort, simply by entering into The Upper Room. And, that we would be vessels for the Lord to minister to them and break them free of fear of death! Also, that John would transition smoothly.
As I sit here, just hours later, I am grieving John not physically making it to The Upper Room, but I am also seeing that my prayer WAS indeed answered.
You see, when two people are married and unified through Christ, the two are supposed to become one. Genesis 2:24 says, “Therefore a man, shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Well, I was a witness to this deep, intimate, and unified bond between a husband and a wife today.
Today, we were welcoming and getting John’s wife, Dianne, acclimated in The Upper Room while awaiting John’s arrival. It was such a delight to meet her and help her, to prepare her heart for what only God knew was ahead. As we met Dianne outside on such a beautiful day, she was excited to tell us how much John would have loved the drive out to The Upper Room. She laughed and shared how he liked to go driving and look at the fields and that he would be commenting on how each field was ready or not ready for planting. She shared that he grew up on a farm. And, that he loved hunting. In that moment, I was so excited to get John in The Upper Room so that he could see all the trees and birds that surrounded the space through all of the windows!
As we walked into The Upper Room, I remember Dianne almost gasping and commenting on how beautiful the space was. She went on to explain that it felt like a rental Airbnb, which was something that she and John and their family liked to do together. As Dianne settled in and we talked, she was full of emotion, yet peace and a sense of belonging appeared to come over her.
Then, about as quickly as we felt bonded and prepared for John’s arrival, we suddenly got a phone call informing us that John’s condition had changed dramatically and that family needed to get to the hospital right away. It wasn’t even five minutes after Dianne and Maggie left, that we got a phone call that John had passed away. It was a shock. I was disappointed, yet more heartbroken for Dianne and the family not being there with John. I was at a lack of words, but I remember thinking and saying, “It was not coincidence that you guys were where you were.”
I thought about that more as I took time to process everything. And then it dawned on me. I shared these words with Dianne, and I am sharing them with anyone who reads this as encouragement that 1) God does answer prayers 2) God unifies us 3) God knows better than we do.
And, all he is asking us to do is TRUST HIM and ASK HIM TO HELP US SEE FROM HIS PERSPECTIVE. So, here is what I believe he showed me.
I am reminded of 2 Corinthians 4:18 which says “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since that what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
John may not have physically made it out to The Upper Room, but I firmly believe that he felt the joy that Dianne was feeling for him as she admired the fields and the wooded property. As Dianne made her journey out to The Upper Room, John was making his journey to his heavenly home. As Dianne was being freed from fear and overcome with peace, so was John. Why do I believe this? Because that is what we prayed for! And God’s word says he answers prayers. Because the two of them were bonded and unified in Christ! And God’s word says that the Spirit of God allows us to experience his power, presence and unity, even if we are physically separated. And, because God knew better than we did.
The more life I live, the more my eyes are opened to the many times in life where I just have to trust that God knows better than I do. God’s Word tells me that his ways are higher than my ways (Isaiah 55:9). While I don’t understand it completely, and I, along with the family, would have liked to see today go much differently, I know that God is good. That God is sovereign. And, that God wants us to lean into him so that he can keep revealing what it is he wants us to know; to increase our faith and bring him glory! He already has, through what he has shown me so far.
So, please join me in praying for this family and all those out there struggling to understand things in life. Along with anyone facing death who is afraid. I want to end by saying what I read in the Bible the morning that I was praying for John and his family. DEATH HAS BEEN DEFEATED. It is not the end; instead, a doorway to NEW LIFE. Jesus died so that we may LIVE! And truly living is seeing life from HIS PERSPECTIVE, NOT OUR OWN.
