June 2026
One of our family goals this year is to visit every NC State Park. I was less than enthusiastic about this goal at the start. I’m not an “outdoorsy” person. As I was growing up, we had weeks of summer camp and other activities that would keep me outside a good deal. In high school, I participated in soccer camp over the summer and would play soccer in the fall. After graduation, I spent less and less time outside. Several of my personal goals, as well as our family state park goal, have helped me to get outside more and even start to enjoy it again. I have seen the benefit of changing my perspective.
There are several areas where a change in perspective is needed. People tend towards selfishness. We tend to look inward, and towards our own interests. It is easy to get caught up in yourself and neglect others unintentionally. However, Paul tells us to change our perspective; he says, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4) We must be intentional about caring for the needs of others. I must continually remind myself to seek out others and care for their needs. It is not the easy or “natural” way of doing things. It is much easier to go about by yourself, concerned only with your own affairs and family. However, in obedience to the Lord, I need to ask others how they are doing, seek to help them in times of need, and be in continual prayer for them. One way I do this is by praying immediately upon request. For too long I would receive missionary newsletters or emails or prayer requests from church and have every intention of praying for them, but would forget as my day progressed. Now, I stop and pray right away. I also try to be better about praying continually throughout the week. However, by praying immediately, I know I have not neglected to pray for them! I also try to remember people who are dealing with difficult situations and try to think of ways they may be in need. When we had a baby in the NICU (or had just come home with a medically complex baby), the first question people asked is what do you need. I know from experience that you don’t always know the answer to that question. Sometimes the biggest help is someone calling and asking when they can bring you a meal, or come fold laundry, do dishes, or sweep your floors. Anyone who just had a baby doesn’t need you to hold their baby; they need help with everything else around the house. If someone has had surgery, they could probably use a meal or help around the house as well. They usually aren’t feeling up to all the usual things or keeping the same pace as they recover. Obviously, you will want to check with them what they feel comfortable letting you do, but we also need to remember when we are in need to let others help us as the hands and feet of Jesus. This is how the Church not only shows its love for each other, but also its love for the Lord. John tells us in 1 John 3:16-18, “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” Laying down our lives goes beyond dying for someone. It includes living for them in such a way that you give of yourself and your property to meet their needs. This is an area where I not only need to shift my perspective, but I also need to give of myself for the good of others.
Another area where my perspective has shifted is in the roles of the household. While I have always held what would be considered a “complementary” or "patriarchal" view of the roles in the family, my perspective is shifting regarding exactly what that looks like. My husband and I have started reading “How to Build a Godly Marriage” by Joel & Mary Beeke. This book has challenged me to reevaluate how I am doing in areas such as submission and kindness. They emphasize the need for wives to work faithfully and cheerfully to care for their home. It is more than cleaning the house because you have to…it is cleaning the house for God’s glory and your family’s enjoyment. You get to cook, clean, and care for your family. You manage your household for the good of your family and the glory of God. I have the privilege of staying home with my children, homeschooling, and caring for my home apart from any other occupation. I do not have to divide my time between work and home responsibilities. I am not accountable to any “boss” other than my husband and the Lord. I also have a better perspective on submission. This is what the Beekes have to say about the duties of a wife: “Since the church humbly and unconditionally submits to Christ, the wife’s submission to her husband means that she should show reverence and yield her will to her husband in all things, except when her husband acts contrary to God and His commandments…As a helpmeet for her husband, she should assist him in every area of life and be content with her husband’s work, social standing, and financial status. She should also manage the affairs of her household efficiently and effectively.”(pages 52-53) This helps me have a better perspective and understanding of Titus 2:4-5 which says, “...train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.”
Finally, my perspective on “God and Country” is shifting as well. As someone who grew up the granddaughter of veterans, including one who was a Pearl Harbor and D-Day survivor, I have always been very patriotic. I have loved learning about history and the development of the United States. I do firmly believe that we should pray for our governing authorities, as it says in Romans 13: 1-2, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resist what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” However, as I pause to consider this is the 250th year of our country, I realized that it really isn’t all that old. We are still, as Abraham Lincoln said, “...testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure.” Will we last longer than the Roman Republic? While the USA holds the distinction of having the oldest written national constitution still in use, it falls in the younger half of nations, coming nowhere near the civilizations started over 4,000 years ago, like Egypt, India, and China. I have started to wrestle with the role of citizenship in a republic. We have more opportunities to participate in government. We can speak out or protest what laws we think should be changed; we can attend town hall meetings and voice our opinions; we can call, email, and write to our representatives; and we can run for office ourselves. This makes me think long and hard about my perspective on submitting to the governing authorities, and my mind is still pondering and shifting. In the USA, we have to follow the laws as written, but we can also work to change those laws. I know that abortion intentionally ends the life of a human being. I know that is murder. I know that murder should be illegal and punishments should be placed on those who commit murder. I also know that there are many who would agree with all of those statements I’ve made and yet tell me I am “making pro-life people look bad,” when I say that those who seek abortion should be tried for murder along with those who participate in that abortion. I want to see the laws changed. As such, I will work with our local pregnancy center to help those in need. I will speak out against abortion when the conversation turns to that. I will write to my state representatives and ask them to support bills that will abolish abortion. My husband is currently running for a county commissioner position. We have had to consider what role our beliefs play in that campaign and position. I was initially taught that the First Amendment creates a separation of church and state, which means that I should not allow my religion in matters of state. Religion should be completely separate from the affairs of state. However, upon reading the First Amendment to the US Constitution, I no longer believe that is valid. The First Amendment reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” This amendment keeps the government out of the Church. They cannot establish a religion, nor can they keep someone from exercising their religion…that includes those who hold public office. It is impossible to believe that someone could perform a job in which their personal religion, beliefs, morals, and ethics did not influence their thinking and behavior. That being said, there are those who run for government who have religious beliefs that differ from my own. I will not vote for someone who holds a difference in beliefs; yet, if they are elected, I am to submit to the government just the same.
As we grow in maturity, our perspective shifts. This should be a natural occurrence. However, we must also continue to learn and grow in our relationship with the Lord. As we read His word, we must learn to see things the way God sees them. We must shift our perspectives to match His. It is good to learn and change, as long as we are keeping ourselves aligned with Scripture. Just as growing physically taller helps us to see the world differently, so we must also grow spiritually and come to see things with the mind of Christ.