A few months back we spent a weekend away with friends camping on the Tumut river. For those who aren’t familiar with Tumut, it is a picturesque town that sits in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains. The town itself has the Tumut river flowing through it; a beautiful river filled with crystal clear water and plenty of trout! By now most of you know that I don’t mind dropping in a fishing line, and I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t an ulterior motive in picking Tumut as a camping destination! So in amongst the campfires, kayaking, exploring and eating, I did manage to find time to throw a few lures in to try and catch a big rainbow trout!
The fishing was pretty fun and whilst I managed to hook one or two fish that would jump and carry on, I wasn’t able to land any of them. In fact I spent more time wandering the river banks trying to find a suitable spot to cast my line than actually fishing. Whilst I’m not complaining about the situation, I did feel the slightest hint of jealousy when a fly fishing charter boat came drifting in front of our campsite and actually caught a beautiful trout right near us! From the boat’s perspective, they could see what I couldn’t, a beautiful rainbow sitting right next to a submerged log. Perspective changes everything!
Our memory verse this fortnight is Proverbs 3:5,6 ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge him in all your ways and he will direct your paths.’ This is a particularly valuable verse for us to learn for a few reasons; one such reason being that in each situation there is always another perspective to consider. As people, our default mode can be to view a situation from our own limited perspective. How important it is for us as parents and educators to work together to ensure our children and students can place themselves in the positions of others. What is even more important is to understand that we have a God who views us, our lives and each situation we face from a different perspective. Where we see failure, brokenness, helplessness, loneliness, despair or fear etc, God sees an opportunity. As we trust in God and acknowledge that we don’t always see the full picture from our limited perspective, we are on our way to growth! In the book of Romans it says that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance character; and character produces hope. The circumstance might not change, but viewing it from God’s perspective might help change our approach. I know we all agree in wanting our young people to be people of strong character!
So as you go through the coming week, let’s be purposeful in viewing situations from multiple perspectives. And if you happen to be questioning your own worth, let me remind you of God’s perspective on that; you are loved, unique, made for a purpose and of incredible value. Don’t forget it! I look forward to sharing some stories from the perspective of the fly fishing boat after I get back to Tumut and book a charter of my own! Anyone coming??
Have a great week PCS.
Glen