Perspective

History has never been my subject.  Yes, I learned all the important dates and the kings and queens of England in their proper order, but only for the test after which all was promptly forgotten.  I did enjoy the aspects that dealt with individuals and their cultures and their reasonings, and also perhaps, the grand overview, the broad sweep, but the drudgery of this fact and that fact, and oh, don’t forget this fact, bored me to tears.  What I really wanted was a chance to look at all sides of events and issues.  I remember checking a historical fiction book out of my high school library which dealt with the American Revolution from the British point of view. Thoroughly enjoyable, and as I learned about the events of that time from a different perspective, I was motivated to learn and retain more about what had happened.

As human beings, shaped by the fall into sin of Adam, we are fallible.  We are limited in our perceptions.  Our perspective can be very narrow.  However, there are the other sides, other perspectives, which do not change the truth, but give insight into the thoughts, emotions and reactions of other people ranging from the differences of male and female thought processes, of the rural/city divide, the range of politics from liberal to conservative, the vast differences between the nations and cultures of the world.  It can be outside our comfort zone to try to step into another’s shoes in any of these situations and we can never fully understand all the factors that may have shaped another’s point of view, but it can be invaluable to gain even a small insight into them.

The overarching comfort is that God’s perspective is infallible, omniscient, eternal.  And because he is omniscient and omnipotent, we can rest fully on him for wisdom and strength.