Perspective: Prison vs. Prism

"Ohhh Crap!"

 Now I know most of your blogs probably don't start out with those words, but that's exactly what I said to myself that hot summer day in 2018. When I was going through college, my twin brother and I worked 3 summers at a factory; hired on as summer help with their landscaping and maintenance needs. In the summer heat we weed-whacked, push mowed, pulled weeds, raked mulch, painted, shoveled, built a fence, ran from snakes, removed a dead raccoon from the parking lot- and so on and so forth. Now I can tell you a lot of stories about this experience, but I'll simplify it by just saying...it built character! Haha! One particular day on the third summer, I was asked to go weed-eat on the other side of the factory building. I was feeling rather confident and sure of myself as I had done this task many times. The middle of the factory happened to have a connecting area that led outside that all four walls closed around and could be accessed through four doors on each wall. I decided to save myself some extra grueling steps and to take a shortcut through that middle point to get to the other side. I picked up my weed-eater, grabbed a bottle of water, and set off. 

As I entered that first door and set foot into the enclosed outdoor space, I was feeling very proud of myself for thinking of using this shortcut. I walked across the gravel to the other door on the opposite side and pulled on the door handle. However, there was a problem. It was locked. "No big deal" I thought to myself, "I'll just go back and take the long way I guess." I walked back to the door I just walked out of and pulled on the handle. Locked. ...Uneasiness started to set in. I walked to the other two doors and pulled on the handles without success there either. Uneasiness turned to anxiousness as I tried to think this problem through. I had nothing but a weed eater and a water bottle on me, and my cell phone was secured safely in my bookbag back in the barn. I am a problem solver and very independent by nature and like to think I can get myself out of some tough situations. I started pounding on the doors and wiggling the door handles hoping someone inside the factory would notice... or care. Whichever the case- it didn't work. As I tried to stay calm, I remembered hearing a story another employee had mentioned about seeing a 5-foot snake in the enclosed area. Anxiousness turned to panic as my mind started to spin. "How long will I be in here?" "I'm stuck!" "Will anyone think to look for me?" I remember looking up at the four factory walls towering above my head into the sky and coming to the realization that I couldn't possibly climb them. I was in a snake pit prison!

Have you ever been there? Now, I'm not talking about that specific situation, (but if you really have been in that predicament, please let me know. We should probably meet for coffee as I'm sure you have some trauma too) but those situations you aren't sure how you will get through. Those times in life you aren't sure what you should do, and you feel stuck. Trapped. Fearful. Maybe it's a new health diagnosis, a problem at work, finances, a decision that seems costly no matter which way you go, or a relationship you aren't sure how to mend-or if you even should. Perhaps it's a mental health condition like depression or anxiety that's causing you to feel stuck and exhausted. Questioning if things are ever going to get better. Friends, can I just tell you-I've been there. If you take nothing else away from this, please know I understand. I've been in the snake pit prison and the "mind game" prison. Feeling stuck in my thoughts and looking through the bars of discouragement and uncertainty.

"Perspective" is a way of seeing and responding to the world. It's a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view. According to Webster, the word's Latin roots mean "to look through" or "perceive"(Merriam-Webster, n.d.). Simply put, it is the way we see things. I have found that sometimes when we go through hard situations, it makes the way we see things change. Our perspective shifts if we aren't careful. We can start to see things in a different light-and that light isn't always as bright as it once was. When this happens, we can begin to feel imprisoned by our thoughts, and to see the world and ourselves in black and white. Black and white thinking is a thought pattern that involves viewing situations in absolutes or extremes. "I am a success, or I am a failure." "People either love me or they hate me." "I will either figure this out or I will fail miserably." "I will either make my way out of this snake pit and live, or a 5ft snake will eat me alive..." Our minds put on that black and white jumpsuit and get stuck in chains that make us feel stuck.

 When I think of black and white thinking, I think of prison or jail. I think of old jumpsuits, chains, and metal bars. But what is the opposite of black and white? Color. What if there was a way to transform our thoughts from black and white into something better? Something brighter. More vibrant. Moving away from seeing things in absolutes and into 3D ...a new perspective. A transformation. There's a word that sounds a lot like "prison," but has a different meaning. That word is "prism." An ordinary triangular prism is useful for analyzing and reflecting light. When white light passes through a prism, it separates the light into colors. Its job is to analyze, transform, and reflect beautiful light. In March of 2022, I was lying in bed one night and this visual began forming in my mind. I got out of bed and grabbed a scratch piece of paper and wrote down the words "Perspective can be a prison or a prism." I thought about a prism and what it does, and realized I knew someone with the same job. Someone Who is light. Who transforms. Who can help us reflect beautiful light in a dark world. Did you know God Himself is light? In 1 John 1:5 it says that "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all"(NKJV). If we can just get really nerdy for a second- a triangle is often used to represent the Holy Trinity. The triangle represents God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in unity as three persons in One. That's as deep as I'm going with that as that can be hard to wrap our minds around-but I hope you're starting to see the visual that I see. Just like a prism, God can transform our minds and our perspective. What if we allowed our limited thoughts to pass through the One who is light? To be transformed into something better? Thoughts that aren't just black and white and keep us stuck in a prison of discouragement-but thoughts that are broader. 3 dimensional. Vibrant and hopeful. A perspective that is able to see the bigger picture and reflects the light of the One who changes us by knowing the Truth of His Word. Romans chapter 12 verse 2 says: "And do not be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..." I am learning through professional help along with my own experiences, that our brains can quite literally change! God made our minds so complex, and He designed them with the ability to form new neural pathways. God wants us to know this truth. We can be transformed!

This transformation isn't always easy. In fact, it usually isn't. However, we aren't alone. There's a man in the Bible that knew all about the difference between living in color and black and white. In Genesis 37, we are introduced to a boy named Joseph. Joseph was born to his father, Jacob, in his old age. Because of this, it says Jacob loved Joseph more than all of his children. He loved him so much; he made him a special robe of many colors. When Joseph's brothers saw that their father loved Joseph more than all of his children, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him (37:3-4). Now, I'm not a mom, but I am a sibling, and I do see where showing one child they are the favorite could cause some issues! To make this civil matter worse, Joseph is living in his colorful robe and also has a dream where he describes himself and his brothers binding sheaves of grain in the field. His sheaf stands upright, and his brothers’ gathered around his and bowed down to it (37:7)...Yikes. Joseph has another similar dream about the sun, moon, and the eleven stars bowing down to him, and tells his brothers this dream as well. Needless to say, his brothers are not pleased with Joseph's dreams or his colorful, special robe.

 Later, Joseph's brothers are grazing their father's flock near another town, and Jacob sends Joseph to make sure all is well. Joseph's brothers see him approaching in his colorful robe and remember his vibrant dreams-and they become angry. They decide to take his robe off, throw him in a cistern, and then sell him to the Ishmaelites as a slave taken to Egypt. A man named Potiphar who was an officer of Pharaoh buys Joseph as a slave, but it says the Lord was with Joseph. Genesis 39:3 says, "and his master saw that the Lord was with him...so he made him overseer of his whole house." However, if things weren't already unfair for Joseph, his master's wife tries to get Joseph to have an affair with her. Despite his repeated refusals, she lies and falsely accuses Joseph in front of his master. Joseph is then taken into prison, where the king's prisoners were kept. No more colorful robes. No more vibrant dreams. No more of his father's adoration. Joseph's life of color seemingly went black and white. Or did it? 

Joseph may have missed his earthly father's love and approval, but he had something more. He had favor and mercy from his Heavenly Father. Genesis 39:23 says: "the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper." Joseph finds favor with the keeper of the prison, and he is put into authority over all other prisoners. During that time, Pharaoh becomes angry with his chief butler and baker and throws them into prison with Joseph. One morning, Joseph wakes up and finds the two of them looking very sad. They each tell him they have had a dream, and they are not sure what the dreams mean. Joseph asks them to tell him the dreams, and God uses him to interpret them. Joseph tells the butler that he would be restored to his official position and to please remember him in front of Pharaoh when the time comes. To the baker, his dream meant he would be killed and would no longer serve Pharaoh(vs22). Sure enough, both events unfold, and Joseph's interpretations are correct. However, the butler does not remember Joseph when he is reinstated, and he is left in prison for two more years.

 Have you ever felt like things just keep getting worse? More unfair? Two years is a long time to be in prison for a crime you didn't commit. Stuck behind bars and living in black and white. But Joseph didn't lose his faith in God. He knew God was with him. And He was. The story goes on to tell us that Pharaoh ends up having a dream and no one is able to interpret it for him. Upon hearing about Pharaoh's dream, the butler then remembers Joseph and what he had done for him and tells Pharaoh about Joseph. Joseph is brought to Pharaoh and God helps him interpret his dream. Telling him that God is revealing that there would be 7 years of abundance in food, but 7 years of famine following, and what Egypt should do. Pharaoh is so pleased, he raises Joseph up over all of Egypt saying "You shall be over all my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you. I have set you over all the land of Egypt" (Genesis 41:41). God was with Joseph. Even in the midst of his difficult, unfair, and bleak situation, Joseph remained faithful to God. God used his dreams for a purpose. He used the very same thing that landed Joseph in a pit to raise him up to be a leader over all of Egypt. God was with him in the pit, the prison, and in his position of power. Joseph made the choice to see beyond the bars of black and white, and to reflect all that he did back to the One Who is light in the middle of the darkness. God brought him out.

Upon closing, I think it’s important for you to know that God brought me out of the snake pit prison too! Looking up at the factory walls, I remember saying a simple prayer. “God, please get me out.” Having nothing but time, I walked to the middle of the gravel pit where a concrete culvert ran through the middle of this snake prison. I got down on my belly and looked upside down through the tunnel and saw a hopeful sight. I saw light at the end of the tunnel. In the far-off distance, I could see my brother’s feet mowing grass on the creek bed on the other side. Desperately, I tried to yell his name as loud as I could, and even threw a few rocks through the concrete tunnel hoping I could get his attention. It didn’t work. Then another idea. “No…I am NOT doing that!” …. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I did the unthinkable. I took my shoes and socks off, tied my shoelaces together and put them around my neck. I stepped down into the muddy, squishy, water (with who knows what living in it) and held my weed eater out in front of me like a weapon. I sized up the culvert, which was pretty tight, (narrow is the path that leads to life I guess) and made my decision. With all the bold courage I had, I ran through the culvert, screaming all the way to the other side. I will never forget the look on my brother’s face when I ran out and he yelled “WHAT ARE YOU DOING??!” After explaining my near-death experience, he burst into laughter like a true brother does. I put my socks and shoes back on and mustered up the little dignity I had left. I had lived!

God doesn’t promise that the way out of hard situations will be easy. Being transformed and renewing our mind to see a different perspective is hard. It requires passing our limited thoughts through the One who sees the bigger picture. Who doesn’t promise that we won’t have to walk through hard things; but promises to always be with us through them. With practice, we can begin to see our challenging situations in new ways. As opportunities to learn from them and reflect His light in a dark world. Making the choice to have bold faith that God will bring us out. The next time we start to feel stuck, what if we thought about our perspective? “Prison” or “prism?” 

Choosing bold faith with you,

-Katie

  Psalm 139:12

“Even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.”

P.S. Actual real life snake pit prison pics and original notes featured below