Perspective Changing and Changing Again

I pulled a tendon in my right ankle doing yard work. I stepped away from the bush I was trimming, and my foot got caught between the edge of a concrete landscaping border and the grass. That stepping away immediately changed my perspective. I knew something was wrong when I couldn’t put weight on the foot without pain and it was swollen. The tendon will heal if I keep weight off my foot for at least two weeks, so I am wearing an ankle boot and using a knee scooter.

Stepping away in our spiritual lives can be an intentional practice that changes our perspective. We step away from the normal routine to observe sabbath. We can step away from our eating patterns to practice fasting, or step away from distractions to practice intercessory prayer, or step into a process of discernment as we live into our callings. There are many practices that are enhanced by the actions of stepping into or stepping away. And these actions force us to change our perspective.

I move around very deliberately and very carefully wearing an ankle boot and using a knee scooter.
I need to plan my route around the house so I do not bang into walls or run into my three cats. These careful movements change my perspective. I really notice where things are. The coffee table is sticking out a bit too far. I can’t make it to the kitchen without a slow turn from the hall into the living room, then the kitchen. How did all that clutter get into the living room? I need to move the chair by the desk so I can make it into the laundry room. Where did all this stuff on the desk come from? These were things I did not notice when I was walking around normally without an ankle boot.

Changing our perspective allows us to notice new things. It helps us do an inventory of our surroundings. Perspective offers us wisdom and discernment. Over time, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, changing our perspective can transform us. The views from my window look different after I’ve been sitting for a long time. I notice new things about the maple trees in the front yard. I learn to recognize the dog walkers and the kids coming home from school. As my tendon heals, I am experiencing God in new ways.