Three P's: Perspective

Let me start by stating that I am generally not a fan of "lists" or "points" to a greater "point". Generally if I am listening to a sermon and I hear the speaker say, "There are 5 points I'm going to make about X," I get kind of annoyed. And if those points are all alliterative or form an acronym, forget about it. I'm not saying its the right attitude, I'm just saying. 

That being said...

Five or six years ago, I had this idea. I was just thinking about... life. Specifically the Christian life. For some reason three particular words stood out to me. That's right; a list of points. Oh wait... they are alliterative. 

Super. 

Anyways, I started thinking about them more and more and how they are related and important, etc. I never wrote anything down regarding them, they've just kind of been bouncing around in my head for the past 5 years. So I figured now that I have this blog and these teeming masses of people just dying to know what is going on up in my tiny brain, now is as good a time as any to get some thoughts down.

So the three P's are: Perspective, Priorities, and Perseverance.

Ooooooh, fancy right?

This first post is going to be about Perspective and then hopefully I'll get around to writing about the other two. 

Perspective 

There's a lot to be said about perspective. Heck, it has more than seven different definitions and applications according to Dictionary.com. My favorite definition listed is this:

per·spec·tive [per-spek-tiv]

noun

::the faculty of seeing all the relevant data in a meaningful relationship.

There's a lot right there that is interesting. (all) Relevant data. Meaningful relationship. As individuals, how often are we considering all of the relevant data and how it is related in a given situation? What constitutes data being "relevant"? Every situation we face is going to be unique to that specific moment or individual involved. However, there is data that is eternally relevant and should be applied in everything. 

Scripture is full of that type of data. One thing stands out in particular to me though: 

Philippians 2:5-8 "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus..."

The Scripture goes on to tell how, despite the fact that Jesus was God incarnate, he humbled himself. He served. He obeyed. He worshiped. He sacrificed. In this way, He loved. 

If there was ever a man that walked on this Earth who had a complete grasp of all of the relevant data and how it exists in a meaningful relationship, it was Him. 

And look what He did.

I believe that most of us suffer from a lack of perspective. I think that most of us underestimate the power and impact that our perspective has at any given moment. Most of the time we are observing what is going on around us and processing to ourselves what we think it looks like, what we think about it, how it makes us feel, what we can gain from it, what we might lost from it, and so on. How often do we take the time to consider what someone else in that room might be thinking, feeling, processing, at that very moment and then do our best to show grace, generosity, friendship, and love to that person? 

I'm feeling my own conviction dripping from my forehead even as I write this. 

I just wonder how my life and the lives of others that I am in contact with would be changed if I were to intentionally maintain good perspective. Eternal perspective. The Christ-perspective of Phil. 2:5-8.

Let's slow down. Take a minute to think. Fix our perspective. 

Someone else who had some good perspective; John the Baptist.

John 3:30 "He must increase, but I must decrease."

So simple. So incredibly difficult. God help us. Without Him, its impossible.

Stick around.

I've got two more P's to go.