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Freedom Friday – On Seeing Differently

November 7, 2014 by Patti 8 Comments

Have you ever heard of the game called “What Is It?”

Okay, that might not be the official name of the game but the gist of it is to figure out what an object is by looking at only a small portion of it.

Let’s play!

Fall in my yard 047What do YOU see?  Can you tell me what this object is?

Fall in my yard 049I’ll zoom out a little so you can see a bit more.  Got it?

Fall in my yard 060Here is another portion of the object,

Fall in my yard 066and another,

Fall in my yard 051and yet another.

Fall in my yard 064Okay, by now I’m sure you’ve come up with some really good guesses and from this last picture you’ve surely figured out that this is a building of some sort . . .

Fall in my yard 065. . . and you are absolutely right.

Fall in my yard 053It is a bird house of course!

Fall in my yard 055So what was the purpose of this little game?  Because there always has to be a purpose, right?

Welcome to FREEDOM FRIDAY – A new devotional, emotional, spiritual and sometimes hysterical series that I will be sharing on occasional Fridays, in addition to my regular Old Things New posts.

Looking at things from a different perspective . . . or Seeing Differently . . . is something that has been on my mind a lot lately, especially since we are in a new place, a place of transition, and we really don’t know what the future holds for us here.

But then none of us really knows what the future holds do we?

 Smokey Mountain Parkway 068

I don’t know if you are at all like me but when I am in a place of uncertainty, whether that be a minor insecurity or a great upheaval of my little world, I tend to look waaayyyy . . . off into the distance and try to figure what the future holds for me.

When I’m in a place of insecurity I tend to come up with a lot of ideas of my own as to what God might have planned for my future.  Maybe I’ll be doing this or maybe I’ll be doing that.  Maybe I’ll be serving in this church or that one.  Maybe . . . maybe . . . maybe . . .

I tend to think too much!

Smokey Mountain Parkway 079And pretty soon my head is spinning sideways.

It is all futile really because we have no idea what the path set before us will hold.  In fact, it can all change in a moment, as I’ve seen recently with two different friends whose husbands have had strokes, disrupting all of the plans that they had laid out so precisely before them.

So what can I do?  One thing I can do is to stop focusing on things that “might” be and simply see the beauty in today.

Fall in my yard 039This is a view through my camera lens, zoomed in to show detail.  The texture, the play of light and shadow, the imperfections of my subject, all are clearly shown.

Fall in my yard 011As I walked through my yard this morning I walked (carefully because I have dogs) looking through the lens of my camera.  I am able to see things much differently that way . . . things I don’t notice with the naked eye.

Fall in my yard 003There is great beauty in the details that I often miss when I look at the whole picture.

Fall in my yard 014Like this hard and grainy rock.

Fall in my yard 007 Trying to take in the whole picture of my life at once can be overwhelming!

Fall in my yard 001Seeing a small piece of the whole picture and choosing to be thankful for the beauty that is in each day gives one a sense of peace and also a new appreciation for the whole.

Fall in my yard 042Getting down low to take a close up can open your eyes to new wonders you’ve never before known!

I know from personal experience that life can be hard.  Perhaps you too are in a difficult season.  What can you do about it?  You can fall into worry, and start asking all the “What if” questions:

“What if I can’t save enough money to retire?”

“What if my health fails?”

“What if I never find a husband?”

“What if I never get a good job?”

“What if the economy fails?”

And for me:

“Will we ever find a church home?”

“Will we ever make friends here in our new city?”

“Will we ever feel like we are making a difference in others lives again?”

In the midst of our worries we will almost certainly neglect to take in the beauty around us.  And it is there!  No matter what your circumstance there is beauty to be seen if you will open up your eyes to a new way of seeing and ask God to show you the beautiful.

Fall in my yard 029If I truly trust God I can leave my future in His hands and turn my focus toward what is happening in my life today, right this moment.  I can choose to enjoy the beauty of the moment even as I might also be feeling the pain of the moment.  The message here isn’t about seeing the world through rose colored glasses, though sometimes I wish I had a set of those.  It is about releasing control of the hard things of life to the One who knows what is best for me, and then choosing to see good even in the midst of it my pain.  Then giving THANKS in all things!

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Colossions 3:15

Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22

Finally, a thought from Corrie Ten Boom, who had more to worry about in her life than most of ever will:

Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.

Since God is in control I think, for today, I’ll let Him do His job and rest in the fact that His plans for me are better than anything I could come up with on my own.

Prayer:

 Papa God, I cast all of my fears and anxieties upon You, for you care for me, you sustain me and you promise that the righteous ( Christ followers) will not be moved.  I lay aside every weight and sin of worry and fix my mind on those things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and deserving of praise.  I commit to live free from worry in the name of Jesus, for the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. I choose to find joy in each day and trust you for tomorrow.  Amen
Blessings,
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Filed Under: Freedom Friday, Freedom Session, Meditation, Thanksgiving Tagged With: Freedom Friday, Freedom Session, Prayer and Meditation, Thanksgiving, The Bible

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Comments

  1. Sandra Heska King says

    November 8, 2014 at 9:47 am

    “One thing I can do is to stop focusing on things that “might” be and simply see the beauty in today.”

    Yes. I love the reminders to see things from different perspectives. Thanks, Patti, for linking this loveliness With Still Saturday.

    Reply
  2. Deb Wolf says

    November 8, 2014 at 12:51 pm

    What a beautiful reminder to cast every care on Him trusting His goodness and love. Thank you so much for linking at Counting My Blessings. Your photos are gorgeous! Enjoy a beautiful weekend!

    Reply
  3. Jodi Scott says

    November 8, 2014 at 12:54 pm

    Hi Patti!! What an absolutely BEAUTIFUL blog!! I am one of your followers and you probably never knew it!! I have experienced those same thoughts, worries, anxieties, excitements many to.es over the years,, At times it was too much for me to deal with and took me down some dark roads BUT our Lord has ALWAYS been there for me when I gave up my will for His and let him direct my path. What an AMAZING journey life is. I find such peace in knowing that all I get to do today is ENJOY today and He has me in the palm of His hand as EVERYTHING is just as it should be!! I will continue to follow your blogs, my friend!! Blessings to you on this BEAUTIFUL fall day in November!!

    Reply
  4. Carol Cook says

    November 9, 2014 at 3:12 pm

    A beautiful post.

    Having been ill for the last two months, I have had to Stop And Smell The Roses. It has been good. I have so much in my life that I didn’t focus on because I was too busy going . . . going . . . going and doing . . . doing . . . doing. These last few weeks I have not been doing or going, but I have been appreciating the little simple pleasures in my life.

    Despite the fact that I am on the mend, I propose to not return to my previous busy life and simply enjoy all that is around me.

    Reply
  5. Sarah Donegan says

    November 10, 2014 at 1:10 pm

    Spectacular pictures! Yes, God knows what will happen in our lives because He sees it all. That is enough.

    Reply
  6. Diane | An Extraordinary Day says

    November 11, 2014 at 10:04 pm

    Great post Patti and I LOVE your photos too! You know I know this place where you are. Too well.
    Recently I wrote a post on something that is related…fretting. God opened my eyes to see it for what it is…sin…and a mistrust of him. He tells us not to worry. Plain and simple. We make everything complicated don’t we? I’m not there…but I’m very aware of the nudges to step back from fretting and turn to trusting. Right now… I’m tired and so want this adventure to be over. Yet…we never know…the next adventure might be even more challenging. Like Paul…I’m striving to be content in this moment..if I can stay in the moment with gratitude…things don’t become scary and are much less tiring.
    Enough of my words…thanks for yours! <3

    Thanks for sharing your inspiration with us at Project Inspire{d}!!!

    Reply
  7. Sarah Ann says

    November 14, 2014 at 11:20 am

    This hit home to me! My husband is looking for a new job and we may relocate. With each new interview, I rearrange our life in my head and “plan” where will live, the school district, the drive to relatives and so on. It’s crazy but I have to relinquish this to the Lord and trust that He will place our family exactly where we should be! Thanks for sharing at the Saturday Soiree Blog Party! You’ll be featured this week!

    Reply

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    November 14, 2014 at 8:00 pm

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Welcome! I am Perfectly Imperfect Patti and I’d like to invite you to come in and take a seat in this creative space of mine.

I love the process of hunting for orphaned and cast off furniture (particularly my Chosen Chairs) and then taking the time to transform each piece into something new and beautiful. This process allows me to reflect upon my own story of transformation and blesses me over and over with each piece I redesign.

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It wasn’t until a few years back that I realized a “hidden message” in the film. Linus, a child who seems to have some insecurities as he carries a security blanket with him at all times. In fact, Linus NEVER drops his blanket, except once....

While sharing the message of “what Christmas is all about,” Linus drops his blanket at the exact moment he says the words, “fear not!”

In this seemingly innocent moment, Linus delivers a powerful reminder of the true meaning of Christmas. We are to “fear not”, for Jesus is born. We needn’t rely on material things for security, we have God with us, “Immanuel”, (Matthew 1:23) Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior - the true meaning of Christmas.

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Amid big, bright, colorful, shiny artificial trees, Charlie Brown chose the least of these, a little, wooden tree with just a few branches. Shortly thereafter, Linus uses his blanket to wrap about the base of the tree and says, “Maybe it just needs a little love”. In that moment, the tree “awakens”, stands tall and firm. A reminder that no matter who we are, how many mistakes we’ve made, a “little love” can make all the difference.

Let’s strive to “fear not” (Luke 2:10) and “love one another” (John 13:34), not just at Christmastime, but the whole year through.”

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