00:00Hey friends, I want you to think about something for a minute.
00:05What if the thing that needs to change first is not your situation?
00:11What if it's the way you're looking at it?
00:13Now I know that can sound simple, especially when you're dealing with something that does
00:19not feel simple at all.
00:21Maybe you're disappointed.
00:24Maybe you're tired.
00:26Maybe somebody has hurt you.
00:29Maybe something you prayed for did not happen.
00:33Maybe you're looking at your life right now and thinking, this is not where I thought
00:39I would be.
00:41And when you're in that place, it's easy to stare at what is wrong.
00:46You start looking at the closed door, the unanswered prayer, the person who left, the mistake
00:55you made, the time you think you have lost.
00:59And the longer you look at it, the bigger it starts to feel.
01:05That's why I want to remind you about something Jesus taught Peter.
01:09One night, Peter and the other disciples were out on the water and a storm had come up.
01:17The wind was strong, the waves were rough, and then Jesus came walking toward them on
01:24the water.
01:25Now Peter saw him and said, Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you.
01:32Jesus said one word, come.
01:36So Peter got out of the boat, and he started walking toward Jesus.
01:42Now here's the part I want you to notice.
01:45The storm did not stop when Peter stepped out.
01:50The waves were still there.
01:53The wind was still there.
01:56Nothing around him had really changed.
02:00But Peter was able to move forward because of where he was looking.
02:05He was looking at Jesus.
02:09Then Peter noticed the wind.
02:11He started focusing on the storm, and he became afraid.
02:17Then he began to sink.
02:20The wind had been there the whole time.
02:23The water had been there the whole time.
02:26The difference was his focus.
02:29Now, that matters for you, too.
02:32Because sometimes what is hurting you most is not what happened.
02:37It's what you keep looking at.
02:40You keep replaying the rejection.
02:43You keep replaying what they said.
02:46You keep looking at what somebody else has that you do not have.
02:52You keep looking at the mistake.
02:55And looking at the worst possible outcome.
02:59And after a while, you start believing that what you see is all there is.
03:07But I want to remind you, it is not.
03:11Jesus is still there, too.
03:14And that is really what faith is, isn't it?
03:17Faith is not pretending everything is fine.
03:21It's not ignoring reality.
03:23It's not saying the storm is not real.
03:26Faith is looking at the storm and still remembering that Jesus is there with you.
03:34Now, maybe right now you're thinking, but nothing is changing.
03:39I understand.
03:40But maybe God is doing something in you before he does something around you.
03:46Maybe you see rejection.
03:49Maybe God sees redirection.
03:53Maybe you see delay.
03:56God may be preparing you.
03:59Maybe you see a closed door.
04:02God may be keeping you from walking into something that was never really meant for you.
04:08Maybe you look at yourself and see somebody who's messed up too many times.
04:16Jesus may be looking at you and seeing somebody he is not finished with.
04:22Look at the people Jesus met.
04:26Other people saw Matthew as a tax collector.
04:30Jesus?
04:31Jesus saw a disciple.
04:35Other people looked at the Samaritan woman and saw her past.
04:40Jesus saw someone worth sitting down and talking to.
04:45He saw a woman he could turn into the very first preacher of his ministry.
04:53Think about that.
04:55When they were done talking, she said she was going to run back to town and tell everyone
05:00she was going to preach about Jesus.
05:04to the people in her town.
05:06She became the very first preacher.
05:10You know, other people, they just saw fishermen.
05:15Jesus?
05:17Well, he saw men he could use to change the world.
05:21And other people saw Lazarus in a tomb.
05:25Jesus?
05:27Well, he saw a story that was not finished yet.
05:31And that's why I don't want you to make a permanent judgment about your life
05:36based on what it looks like today.
05:40You do not know what God is still doing.
05:44And I know that can be hard when you've been waiting a long time.
05:49I mean, it can be hard when you're tired of trying to stay positive.
05:54I get that.
05:55I'm not asking you to force yourself to feel good.
05:59I'm asking you to look again.
06:04Look at the situation.
06:06But this time, don't leave Jesus out of the picture.
06:11You know, you may be saying, I cannot handle this.
06:15Maybe the better prayer is, Jesus, help me handle today.
06:21You may be saying, I do not know what happens next.
06:27Maybe you do not need to know what happens next yet.
06:31Maybe you just need enough faith for the next step.
06:35You may be saying, I've lost too much.
06:39But you do not know what God can still build from what remains.
06:45And if you've already lost focus, remember what happened to Peter.
06:51Peter, he started sinking and he cried out, Lord, save me.
06:58Jesus did not leave him there.
07:00He reached for him.
07:02Now, this is important because maybe you feel like you should have more faith by now.
07:08Maybe you think you should be stronger.
07:11Maybe you're disappointed in yourself because fear has gotten the better of you.
07:17But you can still reach for Jesus.
07:21You can still pray.
07:23You can still say, Lord, I need you.
07:26And he is not surprised by that.
07:29So maybe today you don't need to figure everything out.
07:33Maybe you just need to change what you're staring at.
07:38Stop staring only at what went wrong.
07:41Stop staring only at what you lost.
07:45Stop staring only at how far you still have to go.
07:49Look at Jesus, too.
07:52And ask him, what are you showing me here?
07:57Ask him, what do you want me to learn?
08:01Ask him, what is the next right thing for me to do?
08:07And ask him, where are you in this?
08:11Because sometimes the situation does not change right away.
08:16But when you begin to see it differently, you change.
08:20And when you change, the thing in front of you can start to feel different, too.
08:25The storm may still be there, but you know you're not standing in it alone.
08:32The door may still be closed.
08:35But now you trust that God can lead you somewhere else.
08:41The past may still be the past, but now you understand that it does not have to control your future.
08:50So, my friend, whatever you're facing right now, do not let it become bigger in your mind than Jesus.
08:59You don't need all the answers today.
09:03You don't have to know how the story ends.
09:07Just keep looking toward him.
09:11Keep trusting him.
09:13Take the next step.
09:15And I want you to remember this.
09:18Sometimes when you change the way you look at something through faith, the first thing that changes is not what's
09:27in front of you.
09:29Think about that.
09:31It's what is happening inside you.
09:34And that may be exactly where Jesus starts.
09:41My name is Douglas Vandergraaf.
09:44And I believe in Jesus Christ.
09:47God bless every single one of you.
09:52Every single one.
09:53And everyone you love.
09:58Bye-bye.
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