50 Stories::The Power of Perspective

Seeing things from different perspectives does not come easily to me. Especially in painful or challenging situations. As a self-proclaimed problem solver, I tend to look at these situations from my singular viewpoint and then proceed to find ways to fix the problem. 

The problem with this approach is that, because of my limited, handicapped human perspective, I can’t see the whole picture. But God does. From the from the infinitesimally tiny to the astronomically huge, God sees it all. In every direction. Through all time and space. He has a plan. He has it under control. He reigns supreme. 

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33

This is what I am celebrating today, Easter Sunday. Placing my trust and my hope in God. Clinging to my Savior, Jesus, who overcame the world.

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For me, taking pictures of daisies is sort of like eating Lays potato chips….I can’t stop with just one.

One of the things I love about photography is how by changing my perspective I can tell a completely different story.  Even when it comes to a bunch of humble daisies.  By pulling back and including my kitchen doors, it puts my jar of daisies into context…a happy little flower on a cold, gray day.

But then if I change to my macro lens and get up close, tiny details come into focus and tell the story of a whole new world of possibility.

And what about the underneath of a flower?  An often overlooked perspective, but one with a unique beauty all its own.

As I was going through my photos the other day, I was thinking about the power of perspective.  And it crossed my mind how each of these stories about my humble little daisies is entirely true – one perspective does not negate another.  But individually they don’t tell the whole story.

And I began to wonder how often I do this in my own personal life.  How often do I look at things through one perspective?  And when I am presented with a conflicting perspective, how do I attempt to reconcile that with my own singular experience?

What I’ve come to realize is that life isn’t really that different than daisies.  Each perspective can be completely true – one does not have to invalidate the other.  And the best thing I can do is to make space in my heart for perspectives that might be different than my own.  Together they tell the whole story.