Do You Have the Right Perspective?
Do You Have the Right Perspective?
If That Is Even Possible
I’ve been thinking a lot about perspective lately.
It can feel like every single person has a different perspective on some things that might seem very obvious.
What and who do you let tell you what your perspective should be?
What is the best perspective?
Is it possible that you could have the right perspective?
It feels like we’re all constantly arguing about what the “right” perspective should be on the Bible, abortion, poverty, human rights, government involvement…I could go on, right?
Our arguing just causes us to be more divided.
I want to continually offer a hope-drenched vision for how we can come together as fellow human beings, united in our common journey, and committed to loving and caring for each other.
My faith tells me that each of us have been made in God’s image. Which is kind of mind-blowing to think of. You, me, and everyone else* is a living representation of some part of God. It means there’s a part of God inside of you and inside of me.
*By saying "everyone else” I’m including everybody. People who don’t look like you. Who don’t speak your language. People all across the beautiful spectrum of what humanity can look like. People you might even call weird. Or abhorrent. Or sinners. Or too religious. Or not Christian enough. (all things I’ve been called)
If God showed up at your door in the form of a person, would you let that person in?
You might have a perspective on a challenging topic like abortion because of your own life experience. Or perhaps someone told you what your Biblical view is supposed to be.
Is it your job to impose your perspective on another person? Or is it our opportunity to seek to understand why someone might have a different perspective than us? Or should we just argue about it until the other person changes their mind? (When has that ever happened?)
I love when I’m privileged to hear someone’s story—their background, what happened to them, how they’ve been brave. It allows me to have compassion in ways that aren’t possible without knowing someone.
Many people are losing hope these days. And I believe it’s because they are buying into perspectives that aren’t driven by faith, hope, or love. They are being driven by fear.
If you adopt a perspective that makes clear which people are the enemy… Is your perspective one of peace? Or is it one of battle? Can you claim being a person of faith, when you’re drenched in fear of what might happen sometime in the future?
You might bring up your favorite movie to a friend and they proceed to tell you how horrible they thought it was. How about your favorite song? It might be the song that gives you life on a dull day, but to many others, it’s simply dreadful.
I don’t mind so much if people don’t like my favorite 80’s music or if they think “Chariots of Fire” was a drag. I’ll even tolerate people thinking that baseball is boring…cause it sure can be.
But there are certain things that matter more to me than sports, films, or music. I’m going to maintain the perspective that all people are beautiful and worthy of love and help. And that hope is always a viable option, no matter what the circumstances look like.
You get to choose your perspective. And I want to encourage you to choose a perspective that brings you life—one that allows love to flow to you and from you toward everyone you encounter.
FROM Steve Adams’ “Children’s Ministry on Purpose”:
The word perspective comes from a Latin root word meaning “look through.” In essence, each person’s perspective is the frame through which they see and interpret the world. You can ask ten people to look at the same painting and you will probably hear ten different interpretations and opinions. This is because we see and interpret situations, events, and conversations through lenses that have been unconsciously defined by our individual belief systems.
Think about your perspective and how it differs from other adults in your life. Many things, such as experiences, culture, travel, education, faith, family, hobbies, and values shape our perspectives. Our perspective is our reality. We don’t always see things as they truly are.
Perspective is the lens through which you see and interpret the world around you. Your perspective is your reality. A person’s perspective, or the way they see things, is shaped by many factors, such as family, education, life experiences, travel. Whether we are consciously aware of it or not, our perspective has tremendous influence on our attitude.
And Happy Birthday today to my good friend Gladys! I always enjoy your perspective!
PS: Please God, Bless America
This is a beautiful post Mark. Yes we are all made in God's image. And I love how you say we have to take time to understand others and how they come to their opinions. For instance my family background is what led me to being pro-choice on the abortion issue. People don't just pull their opinions out of thin air. But some people I will never understand-like racists and misogynists. Both of whom I pray for. And I am praying daily for our country's leaders to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
I try to remind myself to ask, "What would Jesus do?" He said he came not to bring peace to the earth but a sword that would divide even family members. He warned us that we would experience divisions and hold differing perspectives, yet he also instructed us over and over again to love one another, even our "enemies" - a category into which we might place those who disagree with us and all the "others" in our lives. The Bible says, "Love covers a multitude of sins," and I believe it also covers a multitude of differences. We can't accurately judge someone until we've walked in their shoes (or heard their story), but we can choose to care about them, show them respect, treat them kindly, pray for them (it's hard to hate someone you're praying for), and love them with a Jesus kind of love.
P.S. "Happy Birthday," dear Gladys!