As many of my blog readers know, my wife is my Spiritual Director in one key area of my formation as a Christian and as a human being. It is through her role modeling, and daily coaching, that I am learning the raw power of expressing thankfulness in all circumstances. This brief guest post, written by her, should become a must-read for any human being wanting thanksgiving to become their new normal. Please share it with friends. I commend her unique voice to you.
The Reframe
How God’s Love Changes What We See
By Anita Wilt
Recently I replaced the frame of a piece of art that’s been hanging in our home since we were married.
The old frame was ‘tired’ and made the art seem likewise. The new frame was a great improvement.
Reframing that art got me thinking. What was inside the frame did not change, but with a different frame around it, the artwork took on a new look; the actual art was not altered, but its appearance was.
Thanks to the new frame, the art had taken on new life.
I am realizing that this ‘reframing’ experience can be true of the way we view what is going on in our lives as well.
Our circumstances, reframed, can be seen from a different perspective. The circumstances don’t change, but how we perceive them can.
The love of God is such a frame. When we reframe our circumstances into the love of God, remembering that nothing can separate us from His love, we are able to see differently what life deals us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39 NIV
Did you catch that? Nothing can separate you from God’s love.
Nothing.
No matter how macro, as the verse so eloquently states, or micro.
Your busted washing machine, your job, your teenager, the economy, government policy, a cold, your dead car battery, your finances or lack thereof. Let’s go deeper. Your brokenness, your fear of the future, your lack of trust. You get the idea.
Nothing.
The thing about God’s love that surprises me afresh is that it will never change toward us. No matter what you do, or do not do, have done, or have not done, God loves you.
He cannot love you more than He already does. His love for you cannot be improved upon. He already loves you the most it is possible for Him to love you. This makes for a grand frame.
Reframe your life circumstances through that kind of love. It’s a game changer. The circumstances are probably still the same, just like the actual piece of art I reframed did not change.
But learning the habit of reframing those circumstances within God’s amazing love, changes your perspective, and ultimately, changes you.
