The Observation Deck

One of the benefits I enjoyed while attending Moody Bible Institute was living just north of downtown Chicago. I was a short walk or subway ride from many wonderful places. I could window shop on Michigan Avenue, enjoy the lake and Buckingham Fountain at Grant Park, see the animals at the Lincoln Park Zoo, or experience a ballgame at Wrigley Field. But my favorite thing to do was to go up to the observation deck of the John Hancock Center.

When you live downtown in a big city like Chicago, you live and move in man-made canyons. With the limited view, it is harder to see the bigger picture of your surroundings. In that urban jungle, the only places you could truly rise above to get a clear perspective was by going to the top of either the Sears Tower or the Hancock Center. Although the Sears Tower is taller, the Hancock had a spectacular view of both the lake and some of the most beautiful parts of Chicago. Even when it was cloudy or overcast, I still marveled at the view.

I suspect we usually live our busy lives in our own version of “downtown man-made canyons.” We focus on the next project we need to finish for work, the next activity our kid needs to attend, the laundry that needs to be done, or the vacation that seems to not come soon enough. Rarely do we rise above the hectic pace and the legitimate needs in our daily lives to see things from God’s perspective. But only then do we truly see things as they really are.

I want to invite you to join me on the observation deck of life to see God’s grand plan for all of history. It will require some time and even some money. But the view is breathtaking—and quite possibly even life changing. You will see the beauty of what God has been doing throughout human history and the role that God would have you play in making it a reality. In fact, I would suggest that every decision you make will most likely be faulty until you see the world from God’s perspective.

Next January we will host Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. For more information on this incredible 15 week course, go to Perspectives.org or pick up a flyer from the Kingdom Partners table in the lobby at New Covenant.