“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well….” Matthew 6:33
I do a decent amount of traveling during the year for different events surrounding my book and ministry at True Love Dates. But believe it or not, I’m not a huge fan of flying. The whole concept makes me somewhat anxious. There’s just something about being stranded 30,000 feet in the air that’s a little unnerving to me.
But lately, I’ve had a perspective shift that has changed the way I experience flights.
During one flight, I closed my eyes to try and relax for a bit before we landed. We had just taken off, and it was a terribly stormy and cloudy day. On our ascent, we hit some turbulence and bumpy air from the rain and storms. But then, after about 10 minutes, we finally reached our cruising altitude. All of a sudden, right before my eyes, I saw the sun shining brightly. The storms were gone, the clouds were underneath us, and the skies were crystal clear. We rose above the storm, and there, above the noise, was peace again. It had been there all along, we just couldn’t see it, or feel it, until now.
In that moment, God gave me a picture of something that has since then stuck with me.
Symbolically, I felt the Lord was telling me that THIS is where my perspective needed to remain as I lived my life, because this is where God resided. Above it all.
The truth is, we all have storms in our life. But sometimes, we get so stuck on the storm. It’s all we can see. It’s all we can feel. It’s all we know.
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you have a storm in your life right now. It could be a rainstorm that’s emptied the sunshine out of your life and replaced it with grief and loss. It could be a hurricane that swept your world and flooded you in depression and anxiety. It could be a tornado that came out of nowhere that tore your life apart, ruined your foundation, and left you feeling unstable. Or, it could be the quiet drizzle and the long, dark, days of loneliness, and despair with seemingly no end in sight.
Whatever storm you’re facing today, I believe that God is calling you to climb over and above it.
Above the worry. Above the pain. Above the confusion. Above the hard things in life that made no sense at all. Above the fears. Above the loneliness. Above it all.
If you’re anything like me, it’s easier to stay in the storm than it is to rise above it. Our default thinking tends to keeps us stuck in the clouds. Our human tendency is to focus on everything we don’t have, all that has been lost, and everything we fear.
We tend to focus so much on what God is NOT doing in our lives, that we miss out on seeing all that He IS doing (TWEET IT!).
But deep in the heart of Scripture, God is asking us to shift our perspective. To focus on something greater. To long for something more.
So often, we look at this verse in Matthew 6:33 and we take it standing alone. In this verse Jesus calls us to, “seek first [God’s] kingdom and [God’s] righteousness….”. He tells us that when we do, He will take care of everything else.
But the amazing thing about this verse is that isn’t just about doing more good things, or being a better person. More than anything, it’s about a perspective shift. The beautiful thing about this verse is that it’s tucked away at the end of a section that’s dedicated to dealing with worry. It’s written for people who are stuck in the clouds – the clouds of fear, the clouds of poverty, the clouds of darkness and despair, the clouds of hunger, and labor, and death.
And here, in these deep moments of worry and pain, God is calling us to focus on something greater: who He is, and what He is doing. To focus on His goodness, to focus on His purpose; to fixate on His place in your life and to get a picture of all that He is doing. And in the end, He promises to take care of all the rest.
The truth of the matter is that this life we live isn’t the main event. There is something more meaningful up ahead. There is something greater up above. But when we lose that perspective, we always, always end up stuck in the clouds.
In that moment, 30, 000 feet in the air, climbing high above the clouds, I felt the Lord say to me loud and clearly that I needed to continually and deliberately stay connected to Him. Because, there, and only there, would He would keep my eyes on the things that were higher, the things that were greater, the things that were deeper.
And there, only there, would I find peace.
I don’t know who you are, or what you’re going through, but I know you are going through something. And in fact, the glimpse that I get from your emails and stories often breaks my heart and fills me with sadness. But this I know to be true: In this world we will have trouble, but we serve a God who declares that He has overcome this world. A God who reigns above the clouds, and calls us to remain there, too.
Don’t get stuck living in the clouds of your life, because that is exactly where the enemy wants you to remain. He wants to rob you of every ounce of joy and fill you with despair. Don’t allow for it, not even for a moment. Be deliberate about connecting with God and seeing what He is doing in your life. He is at work. He is present. He is there. Even when you don’t see it. Even if you don’t feel it. And not only is He there, He’s calling you to join Him – above it all. Let’s commit to staying there, with Him.
Anxiety + Christians Online Seminar on Zoom!
Date: Tuesday, November 1, 2022
Time: 8:00pm – 10:00pm EST
Where: Online Seminar on Zoom (you will be sent a link after completing checkout)
This is a Co-Ed Seminar, All Relationship Statuses
Ticket Price: $35
Purchase your ticket here!
Resources and Upcoming Events:
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DEBRA FILETA is a Licensed Professional Counselor, national speaker, bestselling author, relationship expert, and founder of the Debra Fileta Counselors Network. She’s written five books including Choosing Marriage, True Love Dates, Love In Every Season, Are You Really OK? and Married Sex. She’s also the host of the hotline style Love + Relationships Podcast answering listener questions about love, relationships, and mental and emotional health. Her popular relationship advice blog, TrueLoveDates.com, reaches millions of people with the message of healthy relationships. Connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter or book an online session with her or someone from her team today!
