Over the thousands of hours of counseling in my ministry, there seems to be several themes that constantly come up. I have found myself helping people address the specific issues of purpose, pain,and perspective. Questions about God’s Goodness and Faithfulness always come up when people are in a spiritual desert or a spiritual valley. It is always hard to have the mindset and the thoughts of God when we are going through difficult times. But unless we develop the God-centered perspective in our lives before we go through the pain and suffering, we will be confronted with the harsh reality of turning our backs to God.
This story of a man who had cancer should inspires all of us to have the perspective that we need in our lives. I don’t think we can all come to this kind of conclusion automatically, therefore we have to develop it and nurture it. We have to be reminded about the importance of having God’s perspective on all things. The prophet Isaiah said, “‘My thoughts are completely different from yours,’ says the Lord. ‘And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.'” (Isa 55:8-9, NLT)
May we gain this kind of perspective in our lives no matter what we are going through. Not only does it bring a greater sense of hope and humility, but most of all, it gives God all the glory!
Zac Smith’s Story
Mandy Smith’s (Zac’s wife) Response