Perspective

It is a truth we all know; Sailors, when feeling seasick, have always made their way on deck to look at the horizon.  While that doesn't prevent the pitch and drop of the waves in a storm, it is somehow less upsetting if the larger context is kept in view.  This wisdom seems true for life as well.  No matter what we face; Brain Surgery, Infertility, Epilepsy, my greatest pains and fears have been lessened when I've managed to keep the largest sense of life before me like a horizon.

"This is the difference between despair and faith, between the narrow point of doubt and a view long enough to sustain all life-giving possibility.  It seems we suffer more when huddled below the ship, and though the eternal perspective, the horizon of all time and all life, doesn't remove us from our storms, it does make things bearable."

During the hardest times, keeping my eyes on the horizon has helped me endure the tough times.  For staying where we can keep God in view allows the ups and downs to be somewhat predictable.  It even shows that suffering has its rhythm.  Keeping the larger view can be the difference between thinking life is cruel and knowing that experience is a powerful ocean.  In ways that truly matter, God is always in the horizon, and faith is making our way on deck, despite our pain.