I love to travel. More specifically, I like to fly. When I fly, I always get a window seat (unless I’m flying Southwest and I check in late). The view of the earth and buildings below as I ascend into the air is my favorite part. When I look down, massive skyscrapers appear as though they would fit in the palm of my hand. People look like ants. The land appears to be precisely and evenly delineated as though a cosmic contractor had gently pieced the landscape together. As I go higher, my view changes again and I am immersed in the soft, pillow-like clouds. The sky becomes the backdrop for the rest of the journey and from 36,000 feet in the air everything below fades away.
The reality is that the people on the ground never changed size. The 100-story buildings downtown were still the same height and shape as before. The only thing that changed was my perspective in relation to them. Perspective is about ‘how’ you see what you see. If you are standing directly in front of a large oak tree, what you see is a large immovable object that you can’t go through. However, if you back up a few feet, you see a tree that you can easily walk around.
Just like things seem to become smaller as you fly in a plane, the same can be said about the hindrances and obstacles in your path that seem to be insurmountable. It’s only a matter of perspective. Therefore, in order to overcome the challenges you are facing you may need to change your perspective. You may need to take a few steps back and look at the problem from another vantage point. You may be looking at 10 things on your to-do list, but when you take your time and review your list, you determine that some of those things could be combined or delegated to someone else. You may be able to devise a system that will self-regulate or self-complete certain tasks for you. Nowadays, there’s probably an app for ‘that’. The perspective you have about completing your assignment or fulfilling your purpose will not only determine your ability to finish, but also how stressed you will be as you do so.
Let’s learn a lesson on perspective from a man named Job. In one day his 500 oxen and 500 donkeys were stolen, his 7,000 sheep and all of his servants were destroyed, his 3,000 camels were taken, and his seven sons and three daughters were killed. I’d venture to say that you or I have never had a day that bad! Eventually, his body was also under attack with painful boils. His agony continued for some time and was compounded by the poor and judgmental advice of his friends and even his wife. Eventually, Job begins to question God and His plan. Then God answers. Boy, does He answer! God responded by asking Job 183 questions! “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone” (Job 38:4-6). He forces Job to readjust the perspective from which he viewed his current turmoil. Job, realizing the faults of his vantage point, responded by saying, “Behold, I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth.” His perspective readjustment was complete.
Perspective is in the eye of the beholder. From whose perspective does your view of your life originate? Through whose lens do you view your successes and failure? Only God’s vision is perfect. If we can view our lives from His perspective, we can have more peace, more joy and better results. With improper perspective can come anger, depression, stagnation, frustration, or helplessness. One cannot advance in these states, but in order for the Kingdom of God to advance, its citizens must advance. This means movement is not an option – it is a necessity. Having the proper perspective will make you more useful to the world and more successful in all of your ventures. A proper perspective will help you prioritize what you can and should do for others and why.
Malcolm Bane said, “If you wait until you can do everything for everybody, instead of something for somebody, you’ll end up not doing anything for anybody.”