Yesterday, I was pulling a thumb tack out of the wall and dropped it on the carpet in my office. Because it was clear plastic, I couldn’t see it, but I knew if I got down at eye level with the floor, I’d be able to find it. Sure enough, I found it right away.
So it got me thinking about how a change in perspective helps you see things you wouldn’t normally see. For example:
We see the rude person at work as a jerk, but don’t realize they’re under tremendous pressure at home. Maybe they’re dealing with a child on drugs, a failing marriage or a parent with a terminal illness. What’s it like to be that person?
Husbands, stop for a moment and see things from your wife’s perspective. She needs you to connect with her. She needs you to talk with her. She needs to know what’s going on in your heart. When you don’t engage with her, she feels lonely, unloved and uncared for. What would it be like to live everyday with one of your deepest longings unfulfilled? (Guys, I’m about to talk to the wives, but if you’re not doing these things, then don’t even think about talking to her about what’s next.)
Wives, let me help you step inside your husband’s shoes for a moment. If you don’t cook or aren’t very good at it, then he can always go somewhere else to eat. If he likes the house clean, but you’re a little messy, he can always hire a housekeeper. He can’t do those things when it comes to sex. We call that prostitution. So remember that you’re all he’s got. When he married you, he was trusting you to understand and meet his sexual needs. He needs you to not only understand that, but to be excited about it.
The homeless person didn’t decide when he was ten years old that one day he wanted to be addicted to alcohol and live in a tent south of town. But it happened. And now he feels hopeless, helpless and humiliated. Not to mention bored out of his mind most days. I wonder how often he asks himself how this could have ever happened to him. What would it be like to walk in his shoes for just one day?
Your neighbor or co-worker with the great house and new car isn’t as happy as you think she is. She may try putting on a good face, but underneath, she’s empty. When her head hits the pillow at night, she wonders if this is all there is.
Paul wrote:
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)
Selfish ambition and vain conceit cause us to only see from our perspective. We don’t even stop to consider another perspective. What would it be like though in your marriage, in your family, at work or in your church if you considered others better than you?
What if you looked not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others?
It’s a pretty big change of perspective. Kind of a radical one, I think.
Really only possible with God’s help.
Why not try it though? Start with one person or even just one day. Make every effort to see life through the eyes of someone else.
By the way, it never hurts to try and see things from God’s perspective. He loves all those people we just looked at. Plus, He’s got a whole different way of looking at life. We see the difficulties we’re facing as something fearful, but God sees them as an opportunity to growth our faith and reveal His faithfulness.
Anyway, go give it a try. Let me know what happens.