In his life, Brother Lawrence was one who sought God's perspective on all subjects. This led him to understand that "he was a citizen ofheaven, not concerned with things on earth. His views were not limited by time, because he contemplated nothing but the Eternal One and had become eternal like Him." Like Brother Lawrence, it is important for us to have this same understanding of our citizenship. If we think we are really citizens of this world, then we will be tied to this world in unhealthy ways. As Jesus told us in John 15:19- "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world..."
I have seen so many people get discouraged and depressed by their life. Often times it is because they don't have the right perspective. They believe that what the world offers to them is what is most important; is what living is about. But the truth doesn't rest in the things of this world. As Brother Lawrence says: "Faith makes me regard God as sovereign truth; hope makes me think of Him as complete happiness; and love causes me to conceive Him as the most perfect of all beings, as perfection itself."
With the right perspective, we don't have to seek after success. With the right perspective, we understand that it isn't about success, but about doing something meaningful and purposeful with our lives. Brother Lawrence was able to understand this because "everything was the same to him--every place, every job. The good brother found God everywhere..." And Brother Lawrence didn't have to seek God out. His only means of going to God was "to do everything for the love of Him."
