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From a Distance

People say "the grass is always greener on the other side." Maybe i'm too practical, but i've not been one to fall for that. I guess i'm a realist that leans toward pessimism ever so slightly. My glass is never half full OR half empty. It just... is. You know? It has some. And that's always been enough for me.

For example, growing up, i wanted out of the city and away from the cold. Too many people, too much winter, get me outta there! My parents would say, "the grass is always greener on the other side." For most people, maybe, but not for me. I hightailed it away from the city and the cold the first chance i got and i haven't regretted it. :)

Some people going through a difficult marriage or on the other side of a divorce can't wait to find "someone different" that they can be happy with because they are sure it is out there. And maybe it is, for some. But for me, i'm not interested.

You see, from a distance, a dirty pond looks inviting.
From a distance, a dusty mantle can look clean.
From a distance, a McDonald's Playplace even looks clean! (And i can tell you from experience that there are suspicious puddles and mystery crumbs up in those tunnels! Blech!)

So we get confused. We get antsy for something to change. And we start looking around, judging what we see... from a distance.

Our lives look confusing and tumultuous at times, and an escape looks inviting. Because we can't get the right perspective. We're too entrenched in the mire of the mess. We don't have the ability to step outside our situation and see what the Big Picture is.

But God does.

And even though He has given us the Holy Spirit to keep us company in the midst of our circumstances, He sits at a distance, weighing the tough experiences with the blessings, the struggles with the victories, and the hurdles with the finish line. You see, God doesn't have narrow vision, He is never near-sighted like we are. And when i want my struggle to end, when i honestly feel like i am drowning in the pit of my own circumstances, God knows that just around the corner is something amazing. And He also knows that every time He brings me out of darkness into the light again, my joy is less subject to the enemy's schemes, my faith is stronger, and my desire to thrive during tough times is greater than before.

From a distance, this life is a blip. Up close, it's messy. How i use my blip matters, but it is Who i follow through the messes that will make or break me day after day. And even though today is a rough day and i feel broken and hopeless, i am trying to look up because i know that to my Father in Heaven, my current circumstances are just a moment in the Big Picture of what God is doing in my life. And even though i only see the mess, God sees the masterpiece that is coming.

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