Perspective

        In the heart of the Czech Republic, just outside the busy city of Prague, there is a place called Lidice. In this town lies a history that leaves you with wonder and sadness. The area has changed from what it once was long ago. It is a place that was wiped off the face of the earth by Hitler during WW2; men shot, women sent to concentration camps, children gassed, buildings destroyed, graves uncovered, and trees removed; all to the innocent. In the place where there was complete destruction, now lies a place that is more peaceful than most that I have been to. There is a reverent silence that flows through the grounds of the memorial. You can hear the chirping of birds and the wind moving through the trees as the sunlight streams past their branches. The light through the trees speckle the nicely kept grass that holds the remains of this place and a memorial to the children of Lidice; frozen in time as they gaze on the land that they once used to run and play. They are people remembered not by the way they lived their lives, but the means by which they came to an end.

        I had some time to walk alone on the grounds. The sun was going down. There was a stone that marked the foundation of where the first building stood. This is when I looked up and thought about the stillness and peace of this place. After I had walked through the grounds, I turned back and began to walk along the same path back to where we were staying. I was blinded with the setting sun breaking through the trees. I stopped and moved a little to the side of the path so that the trees would block the light, and there God decided to give me a beauty shot of his creation. The trees were breathtaking, the light was glorious, and I didn't really want to move. I did not notice this place coming from the other direction because it was just a couple of trees that I had to walk by to get to where I was going.

        As I stood there I thought about how different this place looked from these two perspectives. Isn't that true about so many things in life? There are always multiple perspectives. Sometimes when we are in mourning it isn't desirable to think positively of losing a loved one, or when we are depressed to think positively about anything at all. My dad was alive 17 years ago, and now he isn't. Its been a long time, but I know that he is in heaven meeting amazing people that we can only read and dream about. If I were up there, I would be so completely overwhelmed with the Glory of God's kingdom that I would only be able to think about God alone. I know that Dad is just working his way through a line of people who are cheering for him and excited to see him, in fact, they were waiting for him to get there. It is a celebration bigger than I could possibly imagine. I doubt that he has looked back yet, and when he does I will be moving right behind him meeting the people that he met before me. We will approach the throne of God and see Him standing there with open arms inviting us to His throne. Who cares about the worries of this life! I really don't care if I must endure a little suffering while I am just some man on this earth. I will be so overwhelmed by what I am experiencing that I will care in no way about the troubles I had while I was alive. Some of us will suffer greatly, and some not as much. To me, Dad's death was a tragedy, but in God's eyes it is a welcoming home that is beyond our comprehension. I can choose to be sad, or I can choose to be happy. I can try to see things in my life through God's eyes, or I can just sit in my discomfort and welcome sympathy. God can make good out of anything. Am I willing to see it?