PERSPECTIVE.

Confession: I’ve been writing this particular blog since April.

It’s taken me 7 months to publish these words because I haven’t felt ‘adequate’ to write a blog on perspective. It feels like that word & that topic should be reserved for someone with a lot more life experience & a lot more years of walking with Jesus. After all, I’m only 23 and for sure don’t have the wisdom or experience of older, wiser, & more seasoned saints.

But this word- it completely defines this year for me. If I could sum up the World Race in one idea & one phrase, perspective encompasses everything. As I’m looking back on this year, as I’m looking back on my life thus far- I’m starting to see that life is honestly all about perspective. It sounds cliché, I know. But after years of having wise mentors speaking this idea over me & struggling to adopt the habit of shifting my thinking/applying heavenly perspective to my circumstances, I’m finally getting why it’s so important. Our perspective, our mindset, our thought patterns. When we look at our lives through heavenly perspective & apply Colossians 3:1-3 to our daily lives, it truly changes everything.

[original thoughts from April 24, 2023]:

For a while, God has been putting the word “perspective” on my heart. And I knew that was the next blog, but I’ve struggled to write it for so long because I feel nowhere near to having it worked out in my own life.

I’ve been blessed with several mentors in my life who have always spoken the importance of perspective into me. And it’s on this journey that this word is starting to deeply resonate with me.

I’m a big adventure junkie & some of my sweetest moments with The Lord on the Race have been on top of a mountain. While living in the Dominican Republic, I recently had the opportunity to climb the highest point in the Caribbean~ “Pico Duarte” (10,125 ft). We summited at sunrise and words cannot begin to explain the picturesque view I witnessed as the sun was rising above the clouds with God’s glory peeking through the sky in hues of pinks and purples.

This little trip really impacted me- the stillness & quiet of the mountain, the songs of the birds, the clear water, & just breathing in God’s air.

And at the top, I felt closer to God than I have in awhile.

And I realized something really important- the difference between this kind of life-changing experience & just staying on the ground was the climb.

I witnessed the most breathtaking glimpses of Heaven and stood on top of the Caribbean- the view from the top was obviously so much more incredible than the bottom (aka the city of Santiago where I’ve been residing).

But it required something of me- perseverance.  The 2-day, 28 mile round-about hike took some effort and cost me some physical discomfort.

And on that mountain, God reminded me of something really important in the life of a disciple of Jesus.

This thing is hard. It’s full of ups & downs, intensity, & cost. But- He is kind, patient, & gracious to provide and sustain exactly what you need along the way. This is something else I noticed- along the way of this endeavor to the top, we definitely had to stop and catch our breath every now & then. And when we had to stop, there were still incredible views along the way. There were water outlets and places to stop and rest and take in the view.

Thus, in the “pilgrim’s progress,” our journey with God requires different seasons. Seasons where we have to stop & slow down. We’re tired & in the thick of life. We need rest & are in the ‘valley’ of life, nowhere near the ‘top’ or ‘mountaintop experience.’ Yet, even in the valley- God provides just the right amount of sustenance we need to live that day. He gives us the basics required (i.e. water/fuel/recovery on the mountain) to be our ‘Daily Bread’- and He also can give us incredible views (even when we’re in the valley). He’s actually giving us beautiful things to take in, even at the bottom- if only we have the eyes to see. 

Perspective.

perspective- seeing things rightly. When we ask God to open our eyes & see things through His view/perspective, even the valley seasons can be ‘mountaintop experiences.’ Because when we’re seeing God rightly, we’re seeing His world rightly.

—- but He also occasionally gives us the ‘mountaintop experiences’ every now & then. I believe that these kind of experiences are so critical for perspective. We need the occasional ‘view from the top’ after climbing for so long to regain perspective & remember what it’s all about/where we’re headed. When I got to the top of Pico Duarte and witnessed the sunrise at 10,000 ft., clouds rolling in & what looked like Heaven all around me- I was touched, encouraged, & reminded of where God currently has me (the World Race), how big He is, & how if the God who MADE THAT is in charge of the universe and my life, then I’m in good hands & life is really just all about doing this thing with HIM. Witnessing views like that put a lot of things in perspective for me. If the God of all creation is ruling, the things we’re dealing with in any given season of life fall under His sovereignty.

heavenly perspective.

Present day:

I’ve climbed quite a few other mountains since Pico Duarte this year & every one has been nothing short of incredible. Every time I get to the top, I’m reminded again of the importance of p e r s p e c t i v e.

What’s really cool is that I got to summit one (Lions Head- Capetown, South Africa) at sunrise the very last night on the field before my team flew back to America the next day

And as I was sitting at the top processing with a friend the entirety of the World Race and looking back over the year, I was overwhelmed by the reality of what just happened. God used this year to reflect on my life up to this point (seeing my past & the circumstances that have shaped me through His eyes), gaining perspective from the different cultures/countries/incredible people I’ve encountered this year, & asking Him what He sees for the future & what my life as a disciple is supposed to look like.

And it’s pretty simple. Heavenly perspective means we’re living every day in light of eternity. Living every day with the One who gave His life for our freedom. Living every day to make His name known & take His message of reconciliation to the ends of the earth. Living the adventure of every day with God means I don’t have to do something radical like traveling to other countries or the World Race to encounter & experience the thrill of living.

Joy & purpose can be found in the ‘valley’ seasons of life. The days where things feel a little harder than usual & we’re not really ‘living our best life.’ But ‘living our best life’ can truly happen daily, regardless of our circumstances. Because heavenly perspective means we see things the way He does- that everything is part of a grand tapestry He is weaving & all for the purpose of ushering in His Kingdom. It’s freeing because all of a sudden, ‘my’ life/experiences/human struggles are all tied up to His eternal purposes. It’s not about me anymore. Just attaching my short time on earth to the One who is eternal.

 

My team landed in America & finished the World Race several weeks ago. We spent a week of debriefing together, and you wanna talk about the sovereignty of God- our final session together before we left for our own homes, the conversation was about PERSPECTIVE. and the ‘valleys of life.’ & ‘mountaintop experiences.’ seriously.

The Lord completely confirmed that this lesson is something He really wants me to take from this year. We talked about how when you’re hiking a mountain, there’s a certain point where the tree-line stops because trees can’t grow past a certain altitude. But when you’re at the top & look down, you see all the beautiful lush & green of the trees at the bottom. There is abundance of life at the bottom. Trees can’t grow at the top. Because life is sustained in the valley. 

Thus, in the ‘mountaintop experiences’ & ‘valleys’ of life, life is truly in the valleys. That’s where growth happens. That’s where life flourishes.

So, while I’m crazy thankful for the ‘mountaintop experience’ of the World Race & all the perspective it gave me, I’m excited for the future, knowing that even in the ‘mundane’ seasons & days where it’s not super exciting, God is in that. He’s growing & stretching & sustaining us there. We can’t live on top of the mountain because the joy & growth comes when you’re climbing it. He occasionally gives us the mountaintop for relief, reset, & inspiration to regain perspective.

2023 was exactly that for me. The World Race taught me many, many things. It gave me many mountains to climb & adventures to have. But I know now that the true adventure is just doing daily life with heavenly perspective. 

I want to do life ‘in the valley’ well. Just like my favorite book, “The Pilgrim’s Progress,” we Jesus-followers are ‘pilgrims’ on this earthly journey, climbing the mountain of spiritual pilgrimage until we reach the celestial city.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for following along & doing this journey with me.

See you on the mountain.

keep on keeping on,

Makenzie:)