A clearer Perspective Dr. Ed Jordan

A Clearer Perspective

Dr. Ed Jordan

May 22, 2012

I was a high school junior when I took my first flight in an airplane. It was an amazing experience to sit in a plane, once airborne, and within a matter of minutes my viewpoint was changed from looking at the bottom of the clouds to being above the clouds and looking down on them. One of the lessons I learned early from flying is that I can gain a new perspective of how insignificant some things can be when I see them from above.
For a few years—when our children were young—we lived in the Carson Valley in Nevada. It is a beautiful, green valley filled with alfalfa ranches and grazing cattle and horses—all nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Within an hour’s drive we could be gazing at the beauty of Lake Tahoe.
But weather-wise, not everything in Carson Valley was perfect. The most depressing time to live there was when there was an atmospheric inversion, which occurs when cold, icy conditions dominate at lower levels and are trapped under warmer air above. The Native Americans in Nevada had a term for this condition, which they called pogonip. I was told that pogonip meant “white death,” because a person left unsheltered in pogonip could freeze to death, even though the air in the upper atmosphere was warm. According to Wikipedia the condition comes from the Shoshone language and means “cloud,” but it was used to describe death that came from the ice fog that could last for days, or weeks.
After a week of pogonip’s gloom and bitter cold, highlighted by its ice crystals getting thicker and thicker on every surface at ground level, our family would drive up Kingsbury Grade to get above the fog in order to see the sun. Within fifteen minutes of ascent up the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the whole world suddenly changed, as we emerged out of the clouds and into blue skies, sunshine, warmth, and beauty. Our family would just sit there and enjoy the sunshine and blue skies.
When we are under the stress of responsibilities that never go away or lighten, we can feel the world upon our shoulders. In such scenarios, we seem to see only the gray clouds, and their gloom seems to permeate our entire environment. Yet within a matter of minutes, as an airplane can take us to the other side of the clouds, God’s Spirit can lift us to where His light is light shining, and breathtaking puffs of soft, golden clouds provide a comforting bed in which to put our troubles to rest.
Where do you find yourself today? Are you under the weight of the world and enshrouded in gray storm clouds that seem to be pressing down upon you? Or are you ascending above the clouds, basking in the sunshine and light of heaven that shines above the clouds? There are certainly some gloomy things going on in our world and country. It is a very trying time for all who desire the gray clouds to lift, and the sun to shine again.
There is a need for all of us to rise above the gloom caused by the stagnation and deceit of fallen humanity, and to rise up into the light of God’s presence, where we can discover that God’s light still shines. By God’s grace, we can turn to God, and rise above the uncertainty on Earth. God has made it possible for us to get above the clouds, above our problems, and to gain fresh perspectives of the beauty of light and life lived above the clouds of gloom.

In Ephesians 2:6–7 (NLT) the Apostle Paul wrote: ^“For He raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.”

Why not turn to God and ask Him to lift you up to see life from His perspective, a view from above the clouds? You will be glad you did.
This week’s Tuesday Morning was written by guest writer, Dr. Ed Jordan, an award-winning columnist and pastor of the Gate City Baptist Church in Pocatello, Idaho. To subscribe to Tuesday Morning, contact Dr. Tom Barnard at [e-mail]. Past articles by Dr. Barnard are archived at these websites: www.snu.edu and www.emfsprayerandpraise.com.