So what's your perspective

Have you ever been to Mt Shasta in California?  I took a vacation there the last 2 years, something struck me last year, it has to do with perspective.  As you are nearing Shasta National Park from the south along I-5.  Mt Shasta looms large over the rest of the mountain range you can see it from miles away.  As you climb I-5 past Shasta Lake the peak of Mt. Shasta is not necessarily visible as the other mountains eclipse it's view, but as you pass the lake and round a few corners Mt Shasta comes into clear view, but from this close its not as "large" as it appears from from away it actually seems not much larger than the surrounding peaks.  Its a matter of perspective.  The closer you get to something the different it begins to look.

I have often been challenged to think outside the box and have likewise challenged others to think outside the box as well. The question is how. How do we think outside the box. Especially when the box is of our own making.  I can remember times of prayer where I believe The Lord spoke to me about putting Him in a box and not trusting him or believing him to "show up" if you will.

So what does this have to do with perspective?  Have you ever been inside a box?  They are made of cardboard and aren't see through, depending how large the sides of the box are your perspective of things is extremely limited.  You can't see beyond the walls of the box.
Well if we are only seeing things from inside the box we may be missing something that is literally right outside. Without lifting our heads to see what's on the other side
Now don't get me wrong I tend to be one who is always looking for new ideas or opportunities but at the same time I can "lock" myself into a certain perspective and not see or hear new opportunities.

How is that so. Let me explain  this summer I had a lot of things converge all at once which caused me to take a break and stop to take a breath.   I graduated my oldest 2 from high school I also closed a 70 year old building both on the same weekend. Leading up to both events I found myself just going through the motions moving from one event or activity to the next just to get them done even church fell into this category. And that's not always a good thing.  Church should be a fresh experience where The Lord speaks and we hear and respond.

Well I was feeling quite overwhelmed and needed a break so I took a social sabbatical.  I determined not to see anyone I normally would meet with, switched churches (temporarily) and choose not to participate in any scheduled activity that I didn't need to be at. I was doing this just for a break just to take a rest thinking I would just pick up right where I left off at the end of the month. Well little did I know God had other plans. When we shut down the normal and allow for the unfamiliar our senses are exercised, and God has an opportunity to show up. We can be more receptive to His leading because we are more alert.

So here is a little of what he showed me.

1. When we over schedule our lives we don't leave room for God to speak or the Holy Spirit to interact with us.
2. When we try new things or things out of the ordinary our senses are exercised including hearing and seeing.
3. Gods world is bigger than mine and really there is no such thing as a chance encounter.
4. We may want something different...but without a positive disruption we may not see it.
5. When we try new things we don't know exactly what to expect, thus we are more open to God's movement because we are not mentally planning ahead and taking him out of the equation.

So where does this leave you?  Are you in a rut?  Same place, same thing, etc you know the drill, you follow the same route to work or sit in the same place in church petty much just by memory.  Maybe you need a break from the normal.  A change of scenery.  Different surroundings.  Try it just for a time give it a chance.  It will do you good and who knows God may show up and meet you where you're at, just like he did for me.