Perspective Changes Everything

Choosing a Christ-centered Narrative

October 28, 2023  |  4 min read

Lauren Van Woerden

Lauren Van Woerden

When there’s more money going out than coming in. When you just can’t seem to keep the stuff in it’s place. When your wardrobe doesn’t spark joy any more. When you can’t muster any more patience with the people in your life. When you just cant seem to catch a break.

That’s a lot. It’s heavy. And you cannot carry that alone.

Looking into the forest with a babe on a walk.

It’s only human to get bogged down by what our every day life looks like while in pursuit of the Pinterest-perfect lifestyle we desire. You’ll think you’ve arrived when you finally achieve that coveted Instagram-worthy, home-edit photo in your own house. But it’s fleeting. It won’t last.

Nothing on this earth lasts. 

And I don’t say that to depress you, but to remind you that there is more to life than what you see around you. Humankind was created for so much more than this.

Keeping up with the Jonses is something that society and Western culture wants you to do. Participate in the rat race that is consumerism, and by all means stay busier than you can handle in your right mind.

But as Christians we choose a different narrative. We choose to see God’s hand at work in the little things. We are comforted by the peace that passes understanding that can only come from the one true God, and is the only salve when live throws us unbearable curveballs.

Those curveballs look different for each of us. For some they’re only pebbles compared to boulders, but it doesn’t matter. Don’t look to the right or left; look at the path ahead of you. Discomfort is uncomfortable no matter what the size.

Graphic: Discomfort is uncomfortable no matter the size.

Paul writes in the book of Romans that through our sufferings, we are able to find hope.

We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
Romans 5:3–5
New International Version

Seeing hardship this way is not human nature though, that’s for sure. It’s a choice we have to make every single day. Or maybe better described as every single minute of every single day

There are already so many micro choices in the day, but choosing to see the world through the lens of Christ will make every other decision just a little bit easier. Imagine taking the intensity or stress level out of making all those decisions. 

The pleasures of this world will not last, and the hardships we experience day-to-day will be overcome by Christ Jesus if we can trust Him to help us find a way through, and bring all the glory back to Him in the end.

The viewpoint on Oyster Dome hike in Bellingham, WA

Choosing a Christ-centered narrative to see daily life through is what keeps me sane, keeps my anxiety in check (no, I don’t have diagnosed anxiety, but how can you NOT experience anxiousness in 2023?!), and keeps me present in what matters most in the moment.  

Disclaimer… the above sentence is me on my best day. I fully admit that this only happens once in a blue moon because I struggle to keep my focus on Christ in the moment just as much as you’re thinking right now. We’re all in this together.

So, if you’ve never considered reframing every decision you make through a Christ-centered lens, I challenge you to try it. If you’ve been challenged with this since your youth, like myself, I urge you (and myself!) to make this a habit. 

Through this tweak in your mindset, you can be the light you wish to see in the world. Wouldn’t it be refreshing to be a part of that?