Perspective

I have been thinking about perspective lately, how I look at the world around me, and how others look at it too.  Maybe it is the photographer in me that makes me want to look with  different eyes.    Take these camping lanterns :

I was cleaning out our garage the other day and they were sitting on a the back self with the camping gear, in the midst of my crazy messy garage.  I looked up and saw nice shape, great light and went and got my camera.  I didn't  touch them, I looked , I saw and took the picture.   My perspective as a photographer is to see what other people might miss,  capture the everyday normal and make it look different and attractive. 

I have been thinking about my life and the things that I think  are hard, things I get discouraged by and that is when the perspective needs to kick in.

If you read my blog, talk to me at all or know just a tiny bit of my life you know that my youngest goes to both occupational and physical therapy  (OT and PT- for short).   I get sad for him that he has to spend 2 afternoons a week working on skills that I can't teach him.  I get upset that he can't do the monkey bars likes his buddies,  he has trouble getting his fingers to tie shoes and that his eyes muscles keep him from looking at things for long periods of time.   But then I stop and think -" have you meet David?"  Most people have no clue he has any issues because God has given him a  personality  that overshadows any problems. He is sweet and caring to his friends and all the kids ( and adults) at school LOVE him, they don't seem to notice his untied shoes or his lack of monkey bars skills.   

Then it hits me really how good I have it as I sit in OT and PT and watch the other kids who come in for therapy.    There are other kids like David, but there are some that have all sorts of problems I don't have a name for and they break my heart.  Children who can't talk, some in wheel chairs, others who can't walk with out help.   I am sure  those parents would  love to only have the problems that can be fixed by OT and PT.   Problems that could be over come by a great personality and a kind heart.

As I have been pondering perspective in the last few weeks I was thinking about Christians in the US and around the world.   Man we have it easy in the US.  I can go to any house of worship I want  and when I want to with out he fear of going to jail.   I can wear my cross around my neck and really not have to worry about someone killing me.      I have so much freedom it is great - or is it?    We have a friend who came back from a 10 day mission trip to Uganda last week and as he talked to one Ugandan  man  who said "I would hate to be a Christian in the US! There are SO many distractions, here all we have is Jesus. "  The man lived in a mud hut , slept on a dirty mat, he had to walk how far for water?    Yet he could praise God for his life because he knew he wasn't distracted by all our stuff.  Now that is a perspective .  

I am still thinking about perspective and not sure how to end this blog post.   I think I need to look at life like I do through my camera.  I need to look and see what God has put before me and use His grace to make the normal be different and the hard to be a blessing.