Get a New Vision for Your Life

Everyone is focusing on the "State of the Union" or "State of the World," I should say. The economic crises in the US has captured all eyes and the whole world watches President Barack Obama, looking steadily for positive change. In my last article, I advised you to change your focus and look to your creator, rather than watching the world spin in its dizzying, sickening cycle. Now, I want to reiterate that advice with a glimpse back at The Christmas Story. nn(But, it's almost Easter right? The Easter season leads me to study the Christmas story, while Christmas reminds me of the cross. I will not try explain that in this letter, but you can read this article, if you are interested in learning more.) Let's visualize the Baby Jesus for just a few minutes. You know He was born in a stable and placed in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes; a most humble beginning. You realize that Mary and Joseph were at the lower level of a rock-hard social caste that was not to be broken. Looking back at the setting of Jesus' birth from a historical perspective, you will see the economic situation was probably very similar to what we see now; over taxation and political corruption, right? With that in mind, you must also realize that most people who looked upon this family of obvious meager means, would never have seen a royal family. They would have seen poverty giving birth to just one more poor, baby boy, with little hope of a successful future. Get the picture? This is a vision that renders very little hope. There were those, however, who somehow managed to look upon this poor, little child, born into a cruel and harsh society and see a King. They looked at a seemingly hopeless situation and saw hope. Here's one example. I was reading in Luke, chapter 2, the other night and became quite fascinated by one man's ability to visualize hope. Mary and Joseph had take Jesus to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. They found in the temple, a man named Simeon who had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. (vs. 25-29) "Moved by the Spirit, he (Simeon) went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus (remember the poor baby boy) to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 'Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace.'" Now, why did Simeon see the Lord's Christ when others saw nothing special? Why did he praise God for such a small, meager thing? How did he find peace at the sight of just one more poor, little baby boy with no hope? He was watching from a different perspective. He was visualizing through the eyes of the Holy Spirit. He chose not to believe what his eyes of flesh saw, and believed what the spirit within him saw instead, thus visualizing a bright, hopeful future for all of mankind. Can we do the same? Can we look at ourselves in the mirror, in the midst of losing our careers and our financial stability and, no matter what our social status becomes, still see a mighty child of God, visualizing a bright and fulfilling future, rather than someone with little or no hope? Can we still see the Lord's Christ? Although I know personally this is very difficult, I believe we must. We have to SEE a new vision through the eyes of the Holy Spirit. There's peace in it for us.nn***** Visualize this. For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26)