Faced with this set of circumstances, many of us would fret, worry, try to figure a way out, or simply just give up. As a last ditch "Hail Mary" we might even call upon the Lord that seemed to be absent. When a kingdom in the Old Testament was faced with this same issue, many had these reactions as we have today.
One of my favorite stories is found in II Kings 6. The Syrian king was on the hunt for Elisha, "the man of God" who kept foiling his plans. Every time he would make a plan to attack, the Lord would reveal to Elisha the plan, and Israel would be saved. Frustrated, the king sent an army to retrieve the prophet. The army surrounded the city and waited.
At this point, Elisha's servant sees this and is greatly troubled, and asks, "What shall we do?" (v. 15) Elisha simply answers, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “'O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.' And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha." (v. 16-17)
From the servant's perspective, there was nothing to be done, nothing that could save the city. From his viewpoint they were already doomed. His perspective dominated and defined all that he saw, and was the most prominent factor in his outlook. When this happened, the prophet knew he needed a different vantage point. He needed to see things through another set of eyes. Once he did, his entire outlook changed, and he once again had hope.
Just as was the case with this young man, we often let our perspective skew what is going on around us. We fail to see things as they really are, and miss what is really going on. We see everything through a prism of our own viewpoint, and sometimes this can fail us, just as it failed this servant. Sometimes it is big things, and sometimes it is dozen of little things that change the way we view life or events, and in that change, our reality is altered and we struggle to see things as they truly are. We miss the big picture.
When this happens, we need someone who can help redirect our focus. This is a time when we truly can help those around us. Whether through a listening ear, conversation, or simply opening God's Word, we can help them (and ourselves) regain the perspective needed to face the world. We can help each other see things from a different, and hopefully, better viewpoint than before.
Now some of you might be asking, what in the world does this have to do with free popcorn. This past weekend, my son and I went to the store, which seems to have become a more expensive trip in recent years. As we were leaving, and I was silently bemoaning the soaring costs, an employee met us at the door and asked "Free Popcorn?" In my head I am thinking, "yeah right, I am sure my bill just helped pay for that." My son's eyes lit up and he said sure, and then got me a bag as well.
As we continued to walk out, he looked at me with a big grin and said, " Dad, this is a pretty good day, we got some free popcorn." Two different perspectives of the same nice event, and one of those humbling moments I have experienced all to often as a parent. That simple statement made me stop and think of this story and my perspective. Which one did I want to have moving forward. Each day, every moment, we all have this same choice, which will you choose?
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