I can lose perspective on life.

When I give in to hopelessness, discouragement, or feel overwhelmed and confused, it’s a sure sign that I have lost some needed perspective. These feelings are subtle.  They can creep in and take a hold of my soul.  Keeping perspective is a really big deal as how we see life determines how we live it. 

I once went through what seemed like a really long wilderness season.  I battled feeling as though I would never be useful to the world again, or make any kind of meaningful contribution and I began to believe that my best days were behind me.  I had lost perspective.

Perspective Matters

Perspective, or how we see things, matters.  Our perspective shapes our thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and actions. That’s why it is imperative that we keep the right perspective, as best we can, on the world around us, our relationships, and even our own call.  When we lose perspective about who we are or our current reality, we can lose hope and start believing things about ourselves or others that simply aren’t true.

I’ve had to be intentional about finding ways to keep an accurate perspective on my life.

Here are 5 suggestions to help keep perspective:

1. Spending Time In Nature.  Nothing speaks to me like the beauty of creation.   Nature helps me to see the bigger picture of life and to realize that my little problems and hang-ups aren’t such big hairy deals after all.  Being in creation also reminds me that it’s not about me, and ultimately I am not in control.

2. Listening.  When I actually slow down and open my heart, I often hear God’s voice speaking in my spirit.  Those words are always encouraging, true, orienting, hopeful, and restorative.

3. Talking With Friends. What would I do without friends in my life who know me, have walked with me, understand my journey and are for me??  It was a couple of close friends who helped me to keep perspective during that wilderness season.  They helped me to see the truth about my life.   Often it’s not even what is said as much as it is having a trusted friend to listen, ask good questions and in doing so help us to discover our own truths.  C.S. Lewis said it perfectly:

Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: “What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . .

Talking with others helps us to know that we’re ok.  We aren’t going to wreck our kids’ lives.  No, we aren’t the worst spouse ever.  There is still a hope and a future.  Our best days are ahead of us, not behind.

4. Meditating on Scripture.   The Bible holds the most amazing collection of books.  In it, I often find the needed perspective that helps me to find my way back to truth and to once again see more clearly.   Through scripture I find hope and peace once again.

5. Travel.  Every now and then I just need to get out of Dodge, so to speak.  Going to different places, larger spaces, and trying new things often puts things in perspective for me.  For example, one of the things I most love about going to Chicago and other larger cities is the diversity of the population.  I feel so much more connected to the world, to bigger ideas and thoughts.  When life starts feeling small, going somewhere helps.

Where are you needing perspective in life?  Maybe you need to find truth around your relationships, or parenting, a difficult situation or even your call.  Go after the needed perspective.  Don’t settle for just seeing things at face value or just as they appear to be.  We each can live into the “more” that we are created for!

I’m sure you have your own ways of keeping perspective on life and I’d love to hear from you!  What helps you to keep perspective?

Photo by Filip Mroz on Unsplash