Finding a New Frame

Everything we perceive and believe about the world around us is filtered by our basic understanding of God and ourselves. When we get this right, it revolutionizes our reality.

Photo by meriç tuna on Unsplash

One time, when I was around eight years old, my family was visiting our relatives in Texas. We were outside for a parade, sweaty-faced and still having fun. The dry heat was moderately relieved if you could find a spot of shade. Otherwise, I felt like an ant under a magnifying glass.

As I remember it, my mom offered to get us ice cream. When she handed me mine, one melting scoop in a cup, I tucked in. Immediately, something seemed off. The vanilla was overpowered by a sort of tart, bitter, piney flavor. I wondered if it was possible for ice cream to sour, like milk. But it was hot. I was young. I finished every bite.

As we walked back to our car, I commented, “That was the weirdest vanilla ice cream I’ve ever tasted.”

Mom laughed and replied, “Son, that was pineapple, homemade ice cream you just ate.”

I slapped my forehead, laughing along with her. Armed with that new information, I tried to recall the taste. With the knowledge that I’d been eating pineapple ice cream, I realized it had been delicious! 

The frame we put around any moment will fundamentally change the way we experience it. Imagine a lead guitar player rips into a soaring solo, every note perfectly executed, but he’s not playing in the same key as the rest of the band. We could come up with thousands of examples from everyday life.

A few years back, God took the initiative and reframed my existence. It was a single, powerful moment of enlightenment. One which I had been seeking for more than four decades.

When this new frame was put around my perception, much of the data within my consciousness remained unchanged. At the same time, it all took on a different significance. It had a density. A power to bring change. A truth that penetrated the depths of my heart. Things that had been conceptualized realities or unreachable potentialities were suddenly real, present, tangible. 

When this happened, my relationship with the Lord was forever changed. As a result, my sense of self was revolutionized. My entire family experienced a revival. My marriage, which had always been a source of love and joy, entered a phase of new security, growth and partnership. My relationship with my four sons found a new environment in which to grow and thrive. It was amazing.

That moment of awakening developed into a mission and calling. Because I realized that if I needed it, other people probably did as well. So, what was this new frame?

To put it very simply, I experienced God’s happiness. I saw the face of Jesus, and He was smiling at me. In that moment, a dam in my heart broke, one I hadn’t realized was there. A penned up river broke out. It washed away structures that had been build where this river was meant to run. Structures of religion. Performance. Legalism. Fear. Doubt. Insecurity. Anxiety. 

Imagine the moment. A mighty dam disintegrates in a flash. The water floods out in a tidal wave of destruction. But it’s not a quaint village of peaceful people that are washed away. It’s more like the moment that Treebeard releases the river in Peter Jackson’s The Two Towers, washing away the filth of Sauruman.

One smile, one glimpse of Jesus’ true heart provided a revelation about my Father. And that one revelation opened my heart to trust him. And that trust is the essential quality that unleashes world-changing faith. Because the one thing our Father wants from us is faith. That is the only thing he requires. And it is the only way we can receive all the goodness he has for us.

The only thing that will prevent us from experiencing everything God wants to give us is doubting that he wants us to have it.

P.S. If you are enjoying this publication, please share it with a friend. My hope is to help as many people as possible experience enlightenment and transformation!