Living Out the Transformed Life: Perspective

Now that we have been freed to live our lives for Christ (see previous post), what are we to strive for?

2 Corinthians 5:16--So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.

My kids love to watch the Imagination Movers on Disney. The movers are 4 guys and one mouse who solve people's problems by using their imaginations. One of the movers, Scott, has wobble goggles (Gareth and Audrey call them wobble gobbles). These goggles allow Scott to look through walls and into machines. These goggles give him a fuller perspective on life in the Idea Warehouse. I envy Scott's goggles. I want something to keep on top of my head that allows me to look behind couch cushions, search out the missing shoe or find the remote!

This passage calls us to have wobble goggles of our own.

If you are a follower of Christ you can no longer see others they way everyone else (the world) does. You have to see them from a totally new perspective. That begs two questions--How does the world view people, and who's point of view should I have?

Our culture views people from a consumer perspective. "What can YOU do for ME"--that is the question and focus of broken worldly relationships. What do you have to offer? How can you advance my career, my social life, my family?

Two words always come to mind when I think about relationships lived out in our world today. Comparison and Competition. How do I look when compared to you? And then after I've compared, I move to the competition part of this broken relationship. So if I come out looking better than you...we might become friends as long as the gap is not too wide. If I come out looking worse than you...weeeell we might still end up friends, because you could pull me up while I pull you down--the classic definition of "frienemies" (can there be a "classic" definition of a word that has been around less than 5 years).

So that is what I am called out of--THANK GOD! That was exhausting just to type out, much more to live out. But what am I called to? I'll think on that tomorrow. But before we move on... Ponder some questions:

1. Where do you compare yourself to others? Why do it? We should only compare ourselves to Christ. That is the only comparison our true Father is making.
2. Where do you find yourself competing with your brother and sisters in Christ? Trying to have the best of something (stuff, Quiet times, parenting moments, kick-a blogs-smile...)? What is the solution to Competition?
3. What is the culture like in your church/fellowship? Is it a consumer culture with comparison and competition strangling life? Or does it break free from that?

This is a picture of another imagination mover that I think looks like my friend, Jeremy! It's Jeremy's birthday...So Happy Birthday friend!