What's your Angle?

The angle, or perspective, in which you choose to view a matter will always yield it’s influence in what you believe about the matter. That’s why it’s so important to get both sides to a story.

When we think about a picture, we can take the picture from many different angles. We can take a picture of a person from the front, the back, or even profile. Even though we are looking at the same person, each picture reveals something different that we were UNABLE to see from the other angle.

Here’s another example.  Say we’re at a football game. We could be sitting in the end zone, the 50 yard line, or maybe even the “nosebleed section”. Every one of those seats is going to give you a different angle on a play. That may be why the NFL instituted “Instant Replay”. Though there is a head referee and all the guys that help him, (because the head referee can’t see everything), often a call is missed. If you’re sitting by the 50 yard line, and a big play occurs at mid-field, you are probably more likely to give accurate input on it that someone who was sitting in the end zone who saw the same exact play. Why is that? Simply because you had a better angle on the play.

About 5 years ago now, my wife and I bought a digital video camera. We were going on a trip, and our last VHS video camera had bit the dust. The new video camera came with all kinds of bells and whistles (most of which I had no interest in).  All I wanted to know was how to turn the thing on and record. Just recently, however, as I’ve allowed myself to get a little more technically oriented, I’ve discovered we can do AWESOME things through the technology available to us today. For instance, I discovered our “video camera” also allows me to take nice, clear, and concise digital pictures and to save these pictures to the video camera’s memory card.  I can even capture still shots from my videos and make photos from them. My point is, all these great things were there 5 years ago. My camera didn’t just acquire these features overnight. They had been there the whole time. I was just ignorant about having the knowledge to use it.

I think there are a lot of things that the Lord wants to show us that are “right under our noses”. The only problem is, we need to get a different angle on things. When we refuse to see things from a different angle (back to our football example), it could cost a team the game. It can also cost us valuable and enjoyable resources in life when we refuse to do it.

Sometimes in our walk with the Lord, we need to see things from a different angle. Oftentimes we are so used to seeing things ONE WAY that we could really benefit from getting a fresh, new perspective. There are so many things right in front of us that we are unaware of, simply because we haven’t opened our eyes to see them.

It all starts on the inside. Don’t think you have it all figured out. Don’t think another believer’s perspective isn’t worth listening to. People see and do things different ways for a reason. We all have been brought up and raised differently; we saw and experienced things from different angles.  Because of this, we each see and approach things to fulfill different needs. When we get together and share our different perspectives, it can often help us to make a change in how we see things and how we believe things.   Most importantly, however, is to always consider GOD’s perspective.  His perspective is always worth listening to!!

Blessings!

Dan Owczarzak