We don’t like it when our schedules are intruded upon by unexpected events. All of us have daily and weekly routines that we expect to progress through with unaltered rhythm and as long as that rhythm is present we are fine. Unavoidably, however, our days never seem to play out quite as smoothly as planned. Sometimes it’s a plethora of small, unforeseen events that leaves us feeling exasperated. Other times its one specific worry that you can’t seem to get off your mind. These are the moments in life that nobody is truly fond of. The quicker these troubles pass, the quicker we can get back to the beloved thing that we call “normal.”
Many times these troubles in life are inevitable. There is absolutely nothing we can do to see them coming, much less, prevent them from happening. Though we usually can’t eliminate their presence, we can change the way they affect us. So often, we allow tiny problems to give us a negative attitude or even ruin our day entirely. As believers, this should never be the case.
The remedy to this spiritual deficiency is a gospel-centered perspective. When we are our usual narcissistic selves we view trials as unfair and undeserved. Instead of viewing these problems as random unfortunate events or even divine trials we need to see them as opportunities to radiate the gospel and bring glory to God. This is not a perspective you can achieve by simply reading an occasional article or listening to a motivational sermon once a week. It can only be produced by soaking in the gospel on a daily basis. I’m not talking about the power of positive thinking. I’m talking about the power of gospel-centered perspective that comes from consistently dwelling on the work of Jesus Christ.
This morning one of those dreaded wrenches got thrown into my schedule. The front left tire on my vehicle went flat and I had the pleasure of changing said tire in the freezing cold while wearing the shorts that I just had worked out in. If that wasn’t enough, my brand new pair of Nike’s was now covered in dirt and grease from rolling the tire right over my feet. Why?!
On many days I would probably be boiling over with frustration when met with such circumstances. I’m thankful, however, that this time it was different. Earlier in the week I began a study in Philippians and had already engaged in that study earlier in the morning. Paul’s attitude towards his imprisonment was more beautiful an example of a gospel-centered perspective that I could imagine. He was overjoyed because of the advancement of the gospel that took place because of his trial. Absolutely nothing that happened to Paul altered his “to live is Christ, to die is gain” attitude. I was able to spend my early morning meditating on the gospel through the Word of God and music that directed my attention to the work of Jesus Christ and it radically altered my attitude and perspective.
In light of the gospel, flat tires and dirty shoes are not only not worthy of our self-pity, but are opportunities to bring glory to God and point people to his gospel. The believer who looks at life through the lens of the gospel will experience the changed perspective and attitude readjustment that so many of us need. This new perspective does more than merely make us thankful for the fact that we even have a vehicle and shoes at all. It makes Him the object of our affection and drives us to carry out the very mission that He created us for.
