#god's perspective

(for someone who’s their own worst critic)

Perspective can create problems. Or it can solve them.

A healthy perspective on our mistakes and our weaknesses is empowering. Seeing where things aren’t working is important and helpful. If we have a clear view of where we’re falling short, then we’ve got a hard target. Then we can do something about it.

But there’s a big difference between seeing our flaws and being our flaws.

Too many of us have been told – not that we failed – but that we’re failures.

Maybe it was by someone well-intentioned who didn’t know how to give constructive criticism.

Maybe it was by someone who was hurting. Who decided to drag you down, so they could try make themselves feel better. By making you feel worse.

Maybe you think you’ve messed up too many times to be anything other than stuck on the outside looking in.

Wherever that message of being our mistakes and weaknesses came from, of seeing ourselves as our failures, it’s just toxic. And it’s not true.

If you want the truth, look at how God sees you. Today’s first reading makes that clear, by showing us God’s perspective.

God doesn’t see you as the sum of your mistakes and weakness.

God doesn’t see you as someone on the outside looking in.

God sees you as who you really are. A member of the household of God. Part of the family.

You are His beloved child.

Whenever anyone tries to tell you different. Even if that’s you. Don’t buy it.

Hold on to God’s perspective.

Remind yourself, in the words of Pope John Paul II, “We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures.”

“We are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of His Son Jesus.”

god’s perspective - bo burnham

How is it that we can see someone else’s success, someone we’re not in competition with, and end up feeling worse about ourselves?

One way that it can happen is when we hear something like the praise given to Jesus in today’s Gospel – “He has done all things well!”

And without meaning to, unconsciously apply that standard – doing all things well – to ourselves.

Do we do all things well? Some of them. Maybe? But some of them, not.

It’s kind of a mess.

Which means? If that’s the standard we’re applying to ourselves, then we are setting ourselves up. Because you and I can never meet that standard.

We can never even do all things. And of the things we do, you and I won’t do all of them well.

It’s setting us up to fail.

Take a step back. And realize where this is coming from. In our own lives, and in the Gospel, who is saying this? Who is putting that standard out there?

Not God.

This is coming from people. People (other people, maybe us) are the source of these unrealistic expectations. Standards that no one short of the Second Person of the Trinity can live up to (remember, that’s who they’re saying this about in the Gospel).

Look to what God is doing. If you want to see the perspective of your Creator, the only one that matters in the end. It’s right there. Right next to the not-from-God, doing-all-things-well stuff.

But it’s so low-key, that it’s easy to miss.

Jesus is quietly meeting someone in need. Right where they are. Not worrying about whether they have done all things well. Or anything well.

Jesus is focused on them. Their needs, their problems. Healing them, helping them.

Restoring their loving, healthy relationship with Him.

Not worrying about what anyone else thinks.

That is God’s perspective. The only one that matters in the end.