What Does the Bible Say About Perspective?
“We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at” Numbers 11: 5, 6.
In this passage the Israelites are in the wilderness fondly remembering what they had left back in Egypt while completely forgetting about the bondage, slave drivers, back breaking labor and oppression (Exodus 1: 8-14).
The Israelites in the Bible Had the Wrong Perspective
Now all they can think about is the fish, the cucumbers, the melons and garlic they left behind. This is the way the sinful nature is.
To read the entire passage for context, click here. If you’re interested in learning more about Israel’s wilderness journey, click here.
The Spirit will remind us of what we’ve gained from our hardships and steps of faith and obedience. While the sinful nature will cause us to dwell on what we’ve lost.
While it was true they did lose their leeks and onions, it was equally true that they gained freedom from bondage and deliverance from the “iron furnace of affliction”.
Both were true. It was simply a matter of what they were going to focus on- of perspective. We’ve all experienced this dichotomy many times. Anytime we go through a trial we have this choice to make.
How Boo Boo Changed My Perspective
Around the time the Lord was showing me this, my cat Boo Boo got hit by a car. I was devastated. I loved him dearly because he was unique and funny.
He would somehow manage to collect strange things in his litter box like shoes and underwear. And he seemed to have a crush on my teenage daughter. My natural carnal mind wanted to focus on how unique and funny he was. And what a great loss I experienced.
I still grieved over him, but it was a lot easier when the Spirit reminded me that while he may have been cute and unusual, he also stunk up my house.
He sprayed all over the house to mark his territory. This produced a very pungent odor. And had he lived he probably would have ended up stinking up my new house that I moved into shortly after that.
Both of these perspectives were true. It was just a matter of which one I chose to focus on. It’s natural or carnal to focus on what we’ve lost. But an act of the Spirit to focus on the positive, on what we’ve gained instead.
To read another post related to What Does the Bible Say About Perspective? see The Straight and Narrow Path Becomes More Broad.