Perspective can be accurately
described as a “mental view or outlook”.
It seems a lot of people have varying perspectives in this world. In fact, I dare say, everyone has some
perspective. Some aren’t good, some aren’t
educated, some are too educated, others we may agree with, and of course, some
we disagree with.
Perspective can change. This can be a great thing if it is changed to
a better perspective because of information that comes to light in a person’s experience. It can be bad if a person is easily influenced
and is manipulated.
Perspective is tricky.
I love hearing other people’s perspective. I like sitting down and listening, even if I
disagree, it is enlightening to me. I
also enjoy walking throughout creation and taking it all in, I find it gives me
new perspective, or at least, renewed perspective on something I have lost.
If this sounds fluffier than my norm, to be honest, it
is. However, that doesn’t make the
subject heavy or difficult to navigate.
Let me ease into some of what I mean.
I have lost some of my perspective. In many ways it is good. I have matured in many ways. Grown up, some may say. I am not as care free as I once was. In the midst of this I have lost some of the
perspective I once had and traded it in for another perspective. Some may say that my perspective has changed
as a teenager’s perspective changes once they move out and have to begin
supporting themselves.
I suppose that can be good.
The potential problem is losing the freedom of the
child. I mean, when I look at my
children (Arianna 5, and Isaac 3), their cares are few. They have very few worries because they rely
on Denise (my wife) and me to take care of their needs for them. Sometimes the children like to act as a mom
and a dad when pretending and playing, but, from my perspective of having to actually
live out the dad role, I could easily sit back and think how childish their
view of all I have to do is.
Yet, I sit back and enjoy the fact (for the most part, I
dislike it when they act out my poor behavior) that they want to be like me or
my wife.
Now back to my changing perspective…To be honest, I like
responsibility. It is in my wiring. Since my youth, people have told me, my
gifting has directed me, and every assessment I have ever taken points to me
enjoying leading people, teaching, and strategy. So, what do I do? I eat up all the available information I can
to become better at it.
Good idea, right?
Actually it is. It is
responsible. It makes me better at what I
do. In narrows my focus, which is a
really good leadership trait.
However, I have noticed a potential fatal flaw in me. I get so busy trying to narrow down all the
issues that I face that I lose the child’s perspective. To clarify, I lose my carefree perspective
and shift into (what I affectionately call) robot mode. I am so focused on fixing, directing,
growing, strategizing that I take my eyes off my identity. I insert leading as my identity, but I am
more than a leader…I am Adam.
Adam is a child of God.
God is my Father.
He is the One who is responsible.
He is the One thing I should be focused on because I, in my
power, have no ability to have the impact on the matters I care about. He can have a profound, unimaginable,
unfathomable impact on every area I care about.
My marriage, my children, my church, my friends, my family,
my hopes, my dreams, etc., but if I get myself so focused on what I can do, my
perspective narrows more and more until I believe my perspective is the only
one that matters and I, unintentionally, isolate myself (even though people are
around me, I am too consumed with my own thoughts to interact) and further
drive myself into the belief that my perspective is what really matters.
I won’t truly listen to other perspectives. I don’t listen to God. I don’t listen to the ones I care about. I become truly close minded.
Now, this doesn’t mean I compromise to everyone else’s
perspectives, the point I am trying to make is that I lose my identity. I get so focused on what I am good at, that I
forget to come to my Father as a child, realizing that He is the One who fixes
things just like I do for my children.
It isn’t up to me. If I sit back
and try to put the weight of the world on my shoulders it probably looks like
my son trying to “be daddy” and I can sit back and understand he just can’t do
it.
I just can’t do it.
He (God) has to.
I need to go back to get some care free perspective, because I
don’t believe it has to be immaturity, rather, I think it can be quite mature
to place our worries and concerns in His hands instead of holding onto them
ourselves. I believe it removes a lot of
the focus that has been misappropriated and refocuses us on the areas that we
should be focusing on.
I would hate to see either of my children grow up and be so
consumed with anything that they are never present with me. They may be there, but are so consumed with
what they do that I never get their attention.
I believe God feels the same way.
He must be my focus. He must be
the source of my perspective. When He is
the source, my perspective will shine with wisdom beyond my own.
I don’t know if this helps anyone else helps out…but I needed
to get my thoughts out there.
