Reading the Terrain of Your Life

As you begin to read these words, I want you to pause for just a moment and pray this simple prayer, “Father, open my eyes to see my life and the world around me with your eyes.” That is an important prayer because so much is standing between our eyes and the reality of who we are in Christ. We all need the depth of insight only a Spirit-led revelation can provide to help us see through all the things of life that occupy our sight.

There is a technology called, LIDAR, an acronym for “light detection and ranging.”  LIDAR is a surveying method that illuminates a target with a pulsed laser beam then measures the distance between two objects by measuring the reflected pulses with a sensor. LIDAR is used in a wide variety of applications. It has replaced the old radar guns used by police officers to determine a vehicle's speed and by the military to guide stealthy missiles. 

One particular use of LIDAR caught my attention. LIDAR can map terrain, helping geologists find hidden earthquake fault lines not always seen with the naked eye. This technology can see down through the treed canopy of a forest and underbrush to precisely interpret and then create a detailed map of the Earth's surface. The images appear as if everything on Earth was shaved away down to bedrock and topsoil like a man shaving his beard for the first time. On a shaved face you might see a scar that was hidden under the beard. A scar, like a hidden fault rupture from an earthquake, will remain hidden until revealed.

I asked you to pray for a reason. Some of you are interpreting your life based on what is manifesting between you and your true identity. The forest of emotions and changing circumstances are not your identity. If you look at your life with natural sight, you will only see the trees and underbrush, not the substance of your true identity. You need a version of spiritual LIDAR to see the true terrain of your life.

Faith is not always summoning enough spiritual juice to do something monumental for the Kingdom of God. Some of the most profound acts of faith take place when we look down through the trees and underbrush of our life and see for the first time who we truly are in God. That bedrock identity is what will remain unchanged no matter happens in the forest.