Have you ever stared at something upside-down for so long that it started to look right-side-up?
You may have heard of the famous experiment of a man named George Stratton. He wore glasses that projected an upside-down image of the world for eight days. This might sound like an impossible task, but he discovered just how quickly our vision adapts. Within a few days, he was able to do all sorts of normal tasks. In fact, he got so used to the glasses, that he struggled to adjust back to regular life when he took them off.
All of us were born into a culture, and that means that we were all born with cultural “lenses.” Much of what we believe about the world, about people, and about the economy is what our culture taught us, and it’s not all bad.
Personally, I am so thankful that I was born in America! I love the culture I was raised in, but every cultural perspective has its pros and cons.
For example, America’s economy has quickly become a consumer culture. We buy and sell and trade, and if we’re not careful, we start to treat our relationships like a commodity.
Psychologists call this, “The Law of Reciprocal Affection.” We often trade in love the same way that we trade in our economy. Our culture’s understanding of love often resembles an unspoken contract: “I’ll love you as long as I receive love in return.”
Jesus came to give us the lens of the Kingdom, to show us His view of the world. His perspective flips our ideas upside down (or maybe it’s better to say, right-side-up). He taught us to love our enemies, to give our possessions away, and to be a blessing when others curse us.
The problem is, we like our upside-down lenses. We’ve looked at the world this way for so long that Jesus’ perspective takes some getting used to.
The Law of Reciprocal Affection is nothing new. It was part of the lens of Jesus’ culture too. As humans, it’s our natural tendency to withhold love, to fear being let down, to only love those who love us back.
But then.
Jesus comes on the scene saying all sorts of crazy things like, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies. Bless those who curse you. Do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use and persecute you that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven.” (Matthew 6:43-45)
Jesus is challenging our upside-down view, sharing his economy with us. Not only are we called to love others well, we’re called to love those who will never love us back, to respond to negativity with blessing, and to pray over those who have our worst in mind. This is the example of Jesus.
What does that look like for you and I today? What cultural lenses are blinding us to the right-side-up perspective of God? In an economy where everyone is out to consume, you and I are meant to give of our time, our money and our love. That is the generosity that sets us apart in a world of scarcity.
Where is God calling us to step out in our generosity today? If it’s scary, doesn’t make sense to the rest of the world, or feels a little upside-down, we might just be on to something!
So good Daniel. This has been tricky for me. For years and years I had very little after my first husband left me for someone else. I survived with food stamps, state health care, etc. So when Dave & I moved here for a good job at BPA, obviously my world was completely different,and that mentality of frugalness and scraping to get by was ingrained. It has been difficult at times to see this in myself, but the work of the Holy Spirit changes everything. So thankful for the Lord’s grace, mercy and patience with us. Change is happening and I thank Him so, so much. God bless you!!! We sure do miss seeing you!!!!!!!!!