Vertical Thinking

Before our relationship became anything more than friends, my husband gave me the best complement I can ever remember. The memory is vivid like it happened this morning, and it still puts a big smile in my heart. I stopped in for a brief visit at his apartment one day. I wasn't even there long enough to sit down. I remember him and the expressions on his face. He was less hairy then because he was only twenty, but he still has the perfect amount of hair. He sat twisting side to side in an office chair just chatting with me. Oh yeah, I severely liked him, but I was trying so hard not to. I had recently decided that I would not date anyone until I found the one I would marry, and I never dreamed “The One” could be him. He told me that I had been on his mind a lot during the summer and he said to himself, “Surely I do not have a crush on her.” Then he told me that the Bible verse Philippines 4:8 came to his remembrance. “Finally brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—think on these things.” Suddenly I became very dizzy like I might melt into a puddle he would have to scoop up off of the floor. Somehow I managed to walk out of there. I cannot tell you anything else that happened on that day.

That verse was one of my very favorites then, but everyday I discover how hungry I am for the revelation for that plane of thinking. The more I learn, the more I realize the importance of “thinking on those things.” Vertical thinking is reality. It is seeing God in all his goodness. Seeing ourselves as he sees us. Then also seeing others through his eyes. It is impossible to pass a judgment on another if we see ourselves and others as he does. Judgment is a big peace robber. The pure in heart see God. We could say that the pure in heart see love and all the other qualities that make God, God. It is when our thinking becomes horizontal that we get into trouble. Suddenly our focus is on our self and our circumstances instead of seeing the big picture. Vertical thinking is soaring like an Eagle through life. We still live here, but the view is breathtaking and flawless. The mouse would have another view of the same world. There are lots of distractions that can pull our sight away from vertical thinking. Before we know it, we can become almost tricked into living in the horizontal perspective. Sometimes this happens even with great intentions. Sometimes it happens without us knowing it happened, and that is the most dangerous. Vertical thinking then becomes something we know instead of something we live. We can only recover our peace when we know it has been stolen.

When I think about changing my perspective to a vertical one, I cannot help but think of the song, “Loch Lamond.” “Ye take the high road. I'll take the low road.” That is one of the most morbid songs I've ever heard and obviously written and sang by someone on the low road. I've heard a few different variations of the meaning of that song, but basically there was an English slaughter-fest of the Scottish. The bodies of those killed were paraded to Scotland up the well-kept road known as the high road in attempt to send a message while the Scottish walked back home on the peasant or low road. No matter how devastating the lyrics, there is something that illustrates the high verses low way of thinking to me. To us the circumstances were horrid, but suddenly those who died now see our eternal reality that we are blind to on this horizontal plane. Pain, sorrow, broken hearts, poverty, sickness, disease, death no longer exist in their perspective. They are experiencing the higher thoughts of heaven. They are surrounded by life and only goodness. This is also our reality because we are seated in heavenly places. We are in this world, but not of it.

Haven't you wondered how the superheros of Bible could be so weird? They said stuff like, “Count it joy when you are persecuted.” Um, I don't think getting stoned would elicit a “yippee” from me, but it is like that is the attitude they had. Not only that, but they said weird things like, “Father, Forgive them. They don't know no better.” They had attained a higher way of thinking. They lived in a vertical plane in their mind. They saw the big picture and the tiny little things like, whippings, beatings, name callings, false accusations, crucifixions, stonings, rejections, afflictions, you name it, were like nothing....not even a distraction.

I can see there is a higher plane for me to climb to in my thinking, but I can also see I am not there yet. I allow myself to be distracted too often. I began to recognize it even more when I began to see the areas I judge myself and others. I think I have to “fix” me, therefore I do not see myself as blameless, pure, holy, innocent, and perfect as God does. How can I improve perfection? Sometimes I actually believe I can. Sound haughty? Actually it is ultra humbling for me to say that because it requires me to lay down my opinion of myself to adopt one from the higher plane. Seeing flaws in myself automatically recognizes flaws in others. No matter how minute, this is judgment.

Another area I recognize I'm not quite to the high road is how I so eagerly desire to defend myself and others I love when accused. Actually, I don't owe any judgmental, low-road traveler an explanation. If they choose to try to manipulate, force, or draw me into a fight, they seek only to distract me. Sometimes I recognize this and walk away even if they accuse me of being weak or whatever, but I don't walk there consistently. Even though I might not respond, I still WANT to give them a taste of their own medicine. After all, they REALLY deserve it, right? When I can see myself as righteous as Jesus, then I won't care what they say or do to distract me. I won't need to feel I should make myself right. I won't even care to convince them I am not as bad as they say I am. They are not in my vertical beam. In the vertical plane, there is only one voice that matters. Every other voice.....even the flattering ones, are nothing but distractions. Their railings will be like water of a duck's back. No need to fight that. I am on the high ground. They can't hit me from down there.

I picture myself in scenes like in movies such as “Indiana Jones” among many, where the convoy comes down the road between two steep hills or cliffs. There is trouble down below, but the good guys are on the higher ground. The higher ground position is the more advantageous position. They can see their path as well as the situation down below. The only way to ensure destruction is to climb down from their position to the lower ground.

Some would say that seeing things “good” is not reality or balanced. I dare say, that “good” is the only reality. It is the perspective of the Most High. We think we can contradict him? His ways are higher than our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. It doesn't mean that we are naive and irresponsible. It doesn't mean circumstances we experience with our senses are not true. They are true, but they may not be truth. There is a way that seems right to a man, but only brings death. It really just boils down to allowing the heart of God to navigate our thought life. God gave us the recipe for peace, but we have the choice of what we cook up in our mind and heart. Whatever is lovely, pure, admirable, praiseworthy...think on these things. This is like having heaven on earth. This is the high road. This is the indescribable, unexplainable, supernatural, REAL, peace. It is the thinking that made those people martyr themselves by jumping out of the stadium into the arena with tigers and lions. It is the revelation that the horizontal plane no longer has merit. There is a reality I am hungry for.