Perspective

per·spec·tive - (p r-sp k t v) n. – 1) A mental view or outlook, 2) An awareness of a range of time, events, or subjects; a broad mental view, 3) The ability to perceive things in their actual interrelations or comparative importance.

DateLine (2/1/06 – Malvern, PA)

Perspective. Young people pray for it. It is the gift of longevity. Old people fear losing it. The demented have lost it. It is a principal component of wisdom and judgment. It is a prerequisite for leadership. It infuses calm into unsettling circumstances. It is the opposite of self-delusion.

Perspective is what Rudyard Kipling had in mind when the penned the words:

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you . . .

I’ve confessed before that I enjoy watching American Idol on television. I’m convinced after the first few shows of this new season that the average auditioner for American Idol is totally depraved of perspective. How could some of those entrants conclude that they have talent?

Jesus is encouraging us to have a healthy perspective when he spoke the words:

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. (Matthew 6:27-29 NIV)

Have I convinced you that perspective is a valuable personal virtue; even a spiritual virtue? Can it be cultivated? Can it be possessed by the young? Let me suggest a personal experiment. Then you decide for yourself.

Carve some extra time out of your schedule to sit quietly before the Lord and listen to Him speak.
Commit yourself to mining the riches of God’s Word; the Bible.
Spend some time with a Godly grandparent or senior and absorb their life experience.

It’s all a matter of perspective!