One of the things I love about a good Bible study is the perspective that comes from it.  Have you ever finished a powerful time of Bible study and noticed that, at least for awhile, the world looks completely different?  I’ve had that experience many times, some more powerful than others.  My latest one came Thursday night after the men’s group Bible study at the local Calvary Chapel we are fellowshipping at.

The feeling kind of reminds me of a scene from The Matrix, oddly enough.  Right at the end of the movie, the main character Neo finally is able to see the world as it really is… sees the programming behind it all.  He suddenly sees everything for what it is rather than how everyone around him perceives it to be.  That’s how the world feels to me after a powerful Bible study.  As I walk back out into the world, people look different to me.  I can just begin to get a glimpse of how God must see them.  The things they are doing look different, too.  Suddenly I can see the real reasons they are so caught up in doing their jobs, driving a nice car, being seen with a pretty girl, or trying so desperately to look cool.  The thing that is most striking about it, though, is seeing the need for God literally everywhere around me in this world.  It’s written across the faces of nearly everyone I meet.  It’s crying out from all the ways people are trying to create peace and happiness for themselves.

It’s a hard feeling to describe, as is probably evident from the lacking way I’ve described it.  But there is no greater feeling than, even for a short time, understanding things the way they truly are.  Suddenly everything is clear.  Everything makes sense.  The problem is, it doesn’t last long.  Before too long, I turn back into the guy who is just kind of wandering through this dreary world like everyone else.  I guess the only difference might be that I know how to keep going back to that place of perspective… that place that gives me peace, understanding, truth, and hope.