It only takes a moment to change perspective. Sitting on the plane, we see the tarmac and the gates and the baggage handlers. In minutes, we see the entire city and the lake, mountains and bridges. I love how things becomes smaller as my picture becomes bigger.
If only we could climb in an airplane every time we needed to see differently. There are days the tarmac is all I can see. Or the dreary rainy days that declare the sun has left town. Maybe permanently.
One day while out with my daughter, she took a picture of me at a coffee shop. When I looked at the picture, I laughed and said, “Can you make me smaller????” It was so close up and I was larger than life. Well, not with this lens, she informed me.
And that’s how I feel when a problem seems bigger than life, taking my entire field of view. I remind myself that I can’t see differently with the lens I have on. I need the wide-angle lens, the view from up above, where everything gets perspective. Maybe we need a little of God’s perspective.
Everyday. I need to remind myself to stop being absorbed with things right in front of me. That telephoto lens is designed to make things look bigger than they really are, bigger than the grace that’s available. A couple of practices we can choose any time we are needing a different perspective:
- gratitude
- meditation
- prayer
- deep breathing
- exercise
- stepping outdoors
Maybe it’s time to switch out our lens. Getting up off the ground only takes a moment. The wide-angle lens with a bigger picture can be so much better.
“Distance lends enchantment to the view.” ― Mark Twain
Wide Angle Lens 