It’s all in your perspective
When my little girl was three, we were at the pool with some friends and their son, who was also three. The two little ones were standing on the steps of the pool, with moms close by.
Suddenly, we heard splashing and we saw our kids in water that was nearly up to their noses. They were holding on to each other tightly. We ran to them and grabbed them, pulling them up on the pool deck. Both started crying (and we moms were very close to tears, ourselves!).
Later, I asked my daughter what had happened. According to her, “Wes saved my life. I was drowning and he held on to me!”
Wow!
I couldn’t wait to tell Melanie how brave her son had been. I called her, relayed my little one’s story… and she started laughing. It seems that Wes had a slightly different version. According to him, “Emi tried to drown me!”
One event, two very different stories, but both very real to the two involved (although at the ripe old age of five, neither remembers it ever happening!).
The point is, the same situation can affect people very differently. If you ask 100 people their opinion on a topic, you likely will get 100 different ideas.
But God isn’t like that. There are no shades of gray, it is black and white (and red if you have a red letter edition Bible). His word is true, His word is faithful. Jesus tells us in John 14:6,
“I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
This scripture is only slightly less known that John 3:16, which also lays it on the line.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Not through good works, not through bargaining. No room for interpretation or opinion. You can’t receive eternal life in any other manner, but to accept Christ as your savior. Rituals are nice, and can be compelling in their method to bring us closer to our Lord. But they can’t save your soul if you are lost.
Scholars claim that the Bible is open to interpretation. Often we hear claims that, while the Bible says THIS, it really means THAT. Or we are told that we must do this or that to be accepted into Heaven, yet there is no scriptural reference.
Our reality as Christians is built around John 3:16, and John 14:6.
No interpretation needed.
April 30th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
It’s interesting I was having a conversation earlier today about perspective. I am glad God’s perspective is the truth.