It's All About Perspective!

Most people are familiar with the convoluted sayings of baseball hall-of-famer Yogi Berra. Berra was the catcher, and later the manager, of the legendary New York Yankees. Some of the misstatements attributed to Yogi include...

• A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.
• It gets late early this time of year.
• If you come to a fork in the road, take it.
• I usually take a two hour nap, from one o’clock to four.
• If you can’t imitate him, don’t copy him.
• If I didn’t wake up, I’d still be sleeping.
• It ain’t over till it’s over.

My favorite Yogi-ism occurred when a reporter asked him what he was going to do about the fact that he was in the middle of a batting slump. Yogi looked at the reporter with surprise and said, "Slump? I ain't in no slump. I just ain't hitting."

There is undeniable wisdom in his perspective. It's the difference between seeing your problems as a temporary situation or a permanent condition. "Not hitting" is a game-to-game struggle; a "slump" lasts indefinitely.

The bible teaches that believers can strike the word "slump" and its equivalents from their vocabulary. We may face challenges, setbacks--even outright persecution--but we have God's guarantee that it will not last. His words to Jeremiah apply to us today:

They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you. (Jeremiah 1:19)

Paul made reference to this mindset in one of his letters. He said...We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)

Paul reminds us there is a difference between being knocked down and being knocked out; there's a difference between seeing a problem as a temporary situation and a permanent condition.

Be careful of the labels you give to the challenges you face. Remember that they will not last forever, and by God's grace, it won't be long until you're hitting again.