I have this friend who doesn’t like to ride with me. He thinks I drive too fast and it scares him. (That’s not a nice feeling. We rode with a man in Russia one afternoon who terrified me as he passed buses and cars while climbing hills.) So we now ride with my friend. This is interesting. I watch very carefully to see how fast he drives and it is exactly the same as I. Yet I think he drives too fast and he scares me. One afternoon it dawned on me what was going on. Perspective. When one is on the passenger side the trees, bushes and mailboxes are much closer than when you are driving. When we are on the passenger side things whiz by filling our peripheral vision with a greater sense of speed than when we are sitting in the driver’s seat.
I should have figured this out sooner. Perspective is important in almost every aspect of our lives. Have you ever seen a mother interviewed on the Today Show who says, “Yes, my son is a monster serial killer and should be executed.” Rather it is usually, “He is such a kind sweet boy and would never do such a thing. And I believe him when he tells me he didn’t do it.” Perspective. Our side is the good side. Those guys are the bad guys. We have the truth. God loves US. How can those other people believe such craziness? Don’t they read the Bible?
I am so happy we have a God who is able to understand where we came from and what experiences we have had. There isn’t a perspective he can’t understand because He is the God of all. How grand!
Written by Roger Bothwell on July 10, 2012
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org