When I travel by plane, I always enjoy the take off, especially when rising above rain clouds. For it could be cloudy and rainy one second and as soon as we burst through the clouds it’s back to sunshine and blue skies.

In all aspects of life, wouldn’t it be great if we could rise above all the distractions keeping us from brighter days? Although nothing will ever go perfectly this side of heaven, when we are aware to the things that typically cause us disappointments, we can better adjust our perspective in order to overcome them quicker:

Praise: We love being praised by others and that’s the problem. For when we seek the praise and approval of others, our satisfaction can become based more on their opinions rather than what’s best. For example, Jesus and many others in the Bible sporatically received public praise and when they did, it was short lived, or fickle. Instead, we learn that obeying God and seeking His approval is always the best course, regardless of public endorsements (Galatians 1:10).

Problems: When we face problems, the brightest days can soon turn dark. However, with most problems, there are also opportunities. For instance, we get to trust God during problems and rely upon Him, more than ourselves. We get to also learn and grow in ways we may not have if the problem hadn’t existed. Thus, problems can sometimes be the best things to happen to us. They force us out of our comfort zones, challenge us and can propel us closer to Christ, when we allow them (Psalm 50:15).

Possessions: When we focus more on what we have, or don’t have, our possessions can begin to control our perspective of self worth. However, like we have heard, our self worth is never determined by our net worth (Luke 12:25). Therefore, once we realize what we possess are resources we have been given to manage for the glory of God, we can then begin to see them as reinvestment opportunities to help others, our communities and His Kingdom.

Application: “Rise Above” – Colossians 3:2
We will undoubtedly face cloudy days, but when we are empowered with a Godly perspective, He allows us to rise above our circumstances, situations, problems, praises and possessions in order to participate in His greater purposes.