Perspective

A little tale that came to me this morning, the day after Inauguration Day. 

Back in the day, a long time ago before the internet was invented there were these two young elementary aged girls who became pen pals through a church program. They wrote back and forth a couple of times a month for years and years and eventually became the best of friends. Even though they lived in very different environments, they had so much in common in their likes and dislikes and their belief in God bonded them.

 

Sometime down the road when they were both teen agers they decided they wanted to talk to each other to hear the other’s voice. So, they set up a time for at least twice a month where they would talk on the phone. Another one of the things these two girls had in common was that neither of them had ever traveled outside their immediate area. One of the girls lived in a humble cottage in the mountains with a vast view. The other girl lived in a rather lavish beach house on the Gulf Coast. 

 

The girl who lived on the coast decided to call the girl who lived in the mountains on this one particular evening because she knew she would be witnessing a fabulous sunset and she wanted to share the experience with her friend. Little did the girl who lived on the coast know, her friend who lived in the mountains had the most glorious view of sunsets herself and it just so happened that she would be witnessing a fabulous sunset this same evening. 

 

Something happened this evening that neither of the girls saw coming…..an argument. 

 

As each girl described the sunset they were witnessing, they were both adamant that HER sunset was far more glorious than the other. Neither girl would budge on her stance so they hung up both being angry with the other. Each of the girls could not understand why the other could not/would not believe the other when she said, “My sunset is more glorious.” 

 

(Seems like such a frivolous argument.) 

 

A few days passed. Gulf Coast girl had been praying to the same God her friend believed in and wanted to make it right with her friend. She received a revelation. Of course each girl believed her sunset was “better” than the other because neither one of them had ever seen a sunset other than the one in her own backyard! 

 

So, Gulf Coast girl called her friend who lived in the mountains and explained her revelation that she received and told her friend that she was going to save up some money so she could come visit her at her mountain home to witness “her” sunset and asked if she would do the same so that she could come witness a Gulf Coast sunset. 

 

Perspective.

 

Each of the girls indeed witnessed a glorious sunset and they both truly believed it was the ONLY way to see a sunset until each of them took herself out of her own environment and moved herself into the other’s environment to see something in a way they’ve never thought about before.

 

Did either girl budge on her opinion as to which sunset was “better”?

 

Does it really matter? The fact remains that your perspective leads you to believe the way that you do. The way you were raised, the environment you lived in, the dynamics of your family and so on. Your perspective is your perspective and someone else has a totally different perspective based on factors that were probably different to yours. It doesn’t necessarily make you wrong.

 

Again, did either girl budge on her opinion as to which sunset was “better”? Probably not, but the effort that went into at least trying to see where the other person is coming from can “move mountains”. It can help bring understanding to why another person believes the way she believes. Neither girl was wrong. They both just had a different perspective.

 

Remember this when you disagree with someone and you just don’t understand why that person can’t see things your way or why you can’t see things her way. You both have different perspectives.  

And maybe ask God to help you move out of your own head and space for a moment to try to see where your friend or someone who is on a total different spectrum than you is coming from. It doesn't mean your opinion will change but you are at least willing to budge and try to see it from their point of view.