Perspective is Everything

We’ve all experienced how important perspective is to perception.  Our viewpoint in any situation affects what we see and how we feel.  But our perspective is always limited and cannot be fully trusted.  Recent activities in my own life have reminded me of this truth.

While visiting my grandchildren, I discovered again the simplicity of life through the eyes of a toddler – something I hadn’t experienced in decades.  Although age brings its own valuable perspective, there is nothing quite as refreshing as a child’s view of the world.

Watching winter change to spring over the past few weeks has also reminded me of the value of each season.  Everyone where I live is elated right now to have new flowers and more sun to fill our days.  But the same plants that are now delighting us will later in another season require cleanup of leaves and dead flowers; and the sun we enjoy in spring will bring summer days of discomfort when temperatures climb and lawns die from lack of rain.  Perspective really is everything.

Flying home recently, I enjoyed an amazing sunset from 30,000 feet.  However, the thick clouds that formed the foundation of my viewpoint obscured this sunset from the view of those on the ground below.  As a photographer, I am often looking for a great sunset photo; but a sunset from this altitude brought a new perspective from what I usually have to choose from. 

I’ve lived enough life to know that perspective is also important when it comes to our Christian walk.  If all we can see is what our human eyes look at, then what God is doing won’t always make sense to us.  He reminds us of this in Isaiah 55:8-9 – “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” 

As these verses indicate, we can’t ever really see things from God’s perspective.  But faith is about remembering that there is another perspective besides our own limited one – and choosing to trust what we know about God instead of our own perspective.  The more we understand God’s character, the better equipped we are to trust him and his perspective – because we know that he loves us and always wants what is best for us.  Perspective really is everything – and God’s perspective is the only one that really matters in the long run.