dot-dwellers

Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ - that's where the action is. See things from His perspective. Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life - even though invisible to spectators - is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you'll show up, too - the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ. Colossians 3:2-4 (The Message)

That is the scripture that I am to memorize this week. WOW! Is that powerful... or what?!?!

A Pastor that I once worked with used a simple illustration that I will never forget. He held up a sheet of paper with a small dot in the middle. He said that if people focus on that small dot (The negative thoughts that consume them) for long enough... eventually they will no longer be able to see the "big picture".

I know that I just used this optical illusion in my last post... but it supports my point... so here it is again.

Stare at the dot in the middle long enough... and the gray circle around it will just disappear. Go ahead ... try it. Stay with it... it might take a minute to see it... but eventually all you will see is the black dot. Pretty cool... huh?

Imagine that the gray circle represents the great stuff that is happening in our church... the stories of life change... people growing spiritually with their small groups... people serving joyfully... new folks checking out our services every week (some have never been in a church... and many are giving church a second chance)... that kind of stuff.

The little black dot represents the things that we could choose to focus on. "It's too cold in here", "The music's too loud", "The messages aren't deep enough", "This doesn't look like a church to me"... that kind of stuff.

If you dwell on that stuff long enough... when it is all you see... eventually you will miss out on all of the incredible things that are happening around you.

And you know what else... most people don't want to hang out with "dot-dwellers" (I know that I don't. They absolutely "drain" me.)

I don't know about you... but I want to be a "big picture" thinker. I want to see all that God has for me. I want to be where the action is! I want to see things from God's perspective! I know that I am not there yet... but that just means I have to keep my eyes on Him at all times. I need to actually live and think like I am "In Christ".

So that is my prayer this week: "God, help me look up!"