I wish I had kaleidoscope eyes.
I wish that when I came to work and am ready to go home after only 22 minutes, that I had those technicolor lenses. When my mom is sick at home and I wish I could be warming up some soup for her, I sure am wishing for kaleidoscope eyes.
For those of you who grew up with i-pads instead of wooden blocks, a kaleidoscope is kind of like a telescope except inside it has an inner tube filled with colored glass or other loose objects and mirrors. This creates a colorful design when you look through it and it changes every time you move it (feel free to google this to fully grasp the idea).
In the book of Acts, we see a group of people called the disciples, who truly knew Jesus and loved him. They went sharing the gospel wherever they went, but it wasn’t always easy. In chapter 13, the Jews stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas out of jealousy and made them leave their area. Paul and Barnabas trashed the town and- oh wait, no, they didn’t. What did they do?
“-they shook off the dust from their feet… And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”
Well… Okay… But let’s backtrack to chapter 5. The apostles just got in trouble with the high priest and the council, and just about everyone, for talking about Jesus. Fast-forward to the end of the chapter and they get beat pretty badly because they refused to stop teaching about Jesus.
“Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name [of Jesus].”
Okay, what?!
I don’t know about you, but here I am all upset because my boss slammed a door in my face… And then here are the apostles, overjoyed that they had the privilege to be beaten…
I think this message applies to us all. College students, I know you can relate to this one: Paying to print? You press grey-scale 3 times to be sure it will only be 12 cents a page and not 30. We see our lives as boring old grey-scale when the price has already been paid for us to see and live in color.
God has placed me exactly where I need to be at this very time. Sure, I wish my circumstances were different, but God knows me intimately and He has me in this season of life to prepare me for another. One of Third Day’s songs says, “Now I realize the truth that I must go through the valley to stand upon the mountain of God”.
“Well I’ve been in the valley for a long time and I’m tired” some of you might be thinking. Beloved sister, remember that not everyone’s path is the same and your valley might be deeper, it might be longer, but when you finally reach your mountain- and you will- it might be far greater than all the rest.
What about my dreams? I think I’ve made it very clear that I want to go do missions… Mike Donehey from Tenth Avenue North says the following, “You see, our dreams are important, and God has wired us uniquely to dream them, but at the end of the day, He must be the end of every dream”. He also talks about how maybe your dream is to be famous but God sees the root of that desire: to be known to be loved. God will give you exactly that but it just might not be the way you had anticipated.
All too often it seems that things aren’t going my way, that I’m in a place of lacking purpose, that my dreams are simply fantasies. Now, if I change my perspective and put on my kaleidoscope eyes, I see better. I see that God didn’t allow me to leave to a far away college because I am needed here in my very own city. I still get frustrated at work, but I can be a light to my coworkers who don’t know Jesus and even to my boss who slams doors in my face. I understand that God knows my heart and my thoughts and cherishes my willingness to go wherever He calls, but right now He’s calling me to stay put. All of this is true with you too. It’s impossible to fathom the workings of a God that set stars in the sky and raises the sun every morning without fail.
He paid the price for you to live in color.
Crowned Beauty, stop living in black and white. Put on your kaleidoscope eyes and live the way God intended you to.
