Perspective....

Have you ever experienced an event that lasted for only a few moments, but seemed like an eternity; a heightened sense of your emotions and your surroundings; vivid mental pictures and contemplation?

It’s 8:30 A.M. at a busy intersection in downtown Knoxville and I’m sitting in my car at a red light. My light turns green and I start to drive and then slam on the brakes, just in time to avoid a speeding car blowing through the red light. My mind photographs the moment – the car, the intersection, the bicyclist parked catty-corner. Thoughts flash through my mind: “Wow, did that really just happen?” “God protected me because I really only saw that car in my peripheral vision and stopped instinctively.” My thoughts are disrupted by the immediate honking from the truck behind me as he whips around to pass me, while expressing his anger with shouts and hand gestures. Did he really not see what just happened?

“Perspective”

As I drove back to the office, I pondered the event:

The Speeder: Did they make the choice to blow the light, or was something distracting them from attentive driving? Were they having some sort of an emergency?

The Hot Head: Was he really so oblivious to the situation to think that my action was delaying him? What stresses and pressures was he experiencing at that moment that caused him to respond with hostility and loss of patience?

The Bicyclist: She was the person between the four of us that had the best vantage point. Did she see the whole event unfold? How did she observe the event and the actions by each of us?

We often walk through life forming opinions and making decisions, without considering what we don’t know about our situation. We seek answers, but we ask the wrong questions. We react to people without seeking to understand the stresses and circumstances that foster their position.

Choose today to broaden your perspective. What questions do you need to ask and which people do you need to understand better in order to amicably resolve your current problem or conflict? Whose perspective are your missing that you need to consider?