Perspective

The other evening my husband and I were sitting in our living room -- him on the chair, me on the couch. Our conversation was interrupted by a noise that was barely audible...thankfully, not a mouse! But we both could hear a high-pitched buzzing sound. I looked in his direction, and he looked in mine.

"Oh it must be the lamp above you," I told him.

"No, it's definitely coming from behind you - check the heaters."

"What? No way. I can hear it plainly - it's coming from your direction."

"Uh-uh, definitely from yours."

I got up and turned off the light switch to see if that would solve the problem. We listened for a couple seconds...nope, the buzzing was still there.

"Okay," he said. "Let's switch places."

So we did. As soon as I sat down, I could hear as plain as day that actually, the sound was indeed coming from the opposite direction as I had first thought. Before I could say anything, my husband said, "Wow, actually you were right...it's definitely coming from that direction!"

"No way! Now that I'm here I can definitely tell it's coming from the other way."

We were both pretty convinced, and we had to laugh at how changing places also changed our conviction.

In the end, we discovered that the buzzing sound was coming from a tool that was plugged into the electrical outlet...right between our seats! No wonder when we changed places the sound seemed to come from the other direction :-)

Interesting what perspective can do to you. 

I've had a few opportunities recently to "switch seats" with people, and have my perspective challenged and changed in doing so.

A couple of weeks ago we went with friends of ours who were visiting to the site of the Dachau Concentration Camp. Let me tell you, that was a reality check!

All of my so-called "problems" seem like nothing in comparison to the horrors that thousands of people suffered there! If I were to "trade seats" with a prisoner of war, I would realize that in my life I have nothing to complain about. But even in the midst of such awful conditions, the right perspective is a powerful hope. Last night I watched an interview of Alice Sommer (click here to see it), a 108 year old survivor of a Nazi Concentration Camp. In the video I saw pictures of Dachau - the camp I had just been to. Alice is one powerful old lady, and even during the years that she and her son suffered so much at the hands of the Nazis, her perspective was still optimistic. She found strength in music, in community, in laughing. And even today she has no bitterness toward her captors or her experiences in that time. The power of the right perspective.

In the last little while I've also had to remind myself often to "trade places" with my mother-in-law. Her health seems to be going more downhill, and after another episode in the hospital the other week, her memory is getting worse, and she is definitely not herself anymore. It can be exhausting to spend time with her and try to help, but all I need to do is consider what I would need and appreciate if I was in her situation, and suddenly I can see her perspective, and the small sacrifice that it is for me is worth it.

Interesting what perspective can do to you...

Interesting that when I'm complaining about having to decide what to cook, I just have to think about the more than 3 billion people who live on less than $2 a day, and am suddenly thankful that I can make the effort of preparing a meal.

Interesting that when I was a student, I spent lots of time wishing I could do something other than homework, but did not often consider the fact that nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.

Interesting that I can feel intimidated living in this new land, but then I think of my own Grandmother, a war bride from England (advanced Europe), who married a Canadian solider and moved to a farm in Saskatchewan with no heat or running water. 

I can so easily take for granted the love of friends and family, and the continuous ways God provides. It's so easy to get caught up in my own little world, and fail to see from the perspective of others. But I am called to something higher. I am called to see life and other people from God's perspective - the Creator of the universe, whose ways are different than my ways and whose thoughts are higher than mine (Isaiah 55:9). I am called to fix my eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, because "what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18).

And what a difference a heavenly perspective makes!

Your spirit lifts when you realize that God is fighting for you, and He is your Provider.

Your emotions change when you consider that you are called to serve others, not be served.

Your mindset is totally different if you know that you are but a stranger on earth, and Heaven is your home.

Your relationships are no longer the same once you hear the life stories of your friends and learn about their backgrounds, their struggles, their passions.

Interesting what perspective can do to you. 

Praying that this week, no matter where you're at in life, you are able to see past your own experiences and see from the perspectives of others. Praying that God gives us the grace to be patient and empathetic with those around us. Praying that our minds are renewed with the truth of God's Word, and that we claim His will in our lives, not succumbing to the lies that the world and our enemy constantly throws at us. 

 Who can you "switch places" with this week? And are you setting your thoughts on heavenly things, and seeing from God's perspective?