I thank God from the bottom of my heart for giving me eyes to see the world, to see people, to see clear skies and natural beauty. I often think of life as a bicycle that everyone is riding. I think we can all agree that there are times when we encounter unexpected obstacles along the way.

A few days ago, I stumbled upon this short phrase. Gaze... If you can't change your reality, at least try to see it differently. I got to thinking. What are the realities I can't change? The first thing that came to mind was the current coronavirus aftermath. Then I thought about my wife's heart and the negative, hard-headed perspective that comes from the wounds, pain, and struggles of each of my congregants.

The next question I asked myself was, what could I see differently? I learned that the English word for perspective is Viewpoint and the word for gaze is Gaze. As I reflected on the difference between the words, I realized that perspective puts the viewer at the center. It puts you in the center. Changing this perspective would be a huge shift.

But the short passage I read emphasized the gaze. I thought there might be some wisdom in trying to see differently, so I looked up the meaning of gaze. It turns out that gaze is the "path of the eye," meaning the direction of the eye. I understood it as an invitation to try to see differently. It means to try to see the inevitable and unchangeable reality that faces me differently.

In the Bible, in Mark 9:24, we read the words of a man who cried out to Jesus when his child became deathly ill. "And the father of the child cried out, saying, I believe; help my unbelief." Acknowledge your unbelief and ask Jesus to help you.

This is where I learn the power and effectiveness of prayer. This is where I learn the power and effectiveness of prayer, because I think of prayer as a time and a request to see through God's eyes in faith, not my perspective. I confess that the spiritual experiences I have had through prayer over the years have been much more about God giving me wisdom to see, interpret, and change my perspective on the realities and problems I face, rather than solving them.