Perspective is Everything
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
1 Peter 1:3-5
Few places in the world appeal to a child’s imagination more than Disney World. This is because Disney World was created intentionally from a child’s perspective. During the design and construction of Disneyland (Disney’s original theme park which opened in 1955), Walt Disney repeatedly requested that the architects and contractors squat down so that they might see the park from a child’s perspective.
The Walt Disney Company continued this unconventional custom in the design and building of its various parks and hotels. Today, Disney hotel lobbies, for instance, oen feature small carvings and artwork strategically placed at the waist level of most adults. While these enchanting artifacts are often overlooked by parents as they anxiously check in to the hotel, they find a happy audience with small children, arousing their imagination and inviting them into a magical world.
Disney knew something about the importance of perspective. The Bible does as well. In 1 Peter 1, Peter invites his readers to look at life through the lens of “hope.” Peter writes this letter to exiles scattered throughout Asia Minor (1 Peter 1:1). Many Christians were enduring hardship, but despite this, Peter encourages his readers to have hope — to view their situation in light of an ultimate perspective.
Today, we often think of hope as wishful thinking, like the desire that our college football team to win the national championship. There’s a chance, but it may be unlikely. When the Bible uses the term “hope,” it does so with an air of certainty. Peter tells us that our hope is based upon an “inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.” (1 Peter 1:4) What’s more, our inheritance is secure and failproof, because it is “kept” and “protected” by God himself (1 Peter 1:4).
This hope should encourage us in the day-to-day struggles that we encounter. Whatever challenge that we face today, we can meet that challenge with confidence, knowing that our inheritance is secure in the Lord.
