Perspective is a secret ingredient to life well-lived. How you perceive life determines how you live it. Fearful people see life as dangerous and risky. Angry people see disparity and injustice. In the same way that a photographer chooses which shot to frame from a broad panorama, each person chooses their own perspective on living.
In the often hectic and stressful days that have scattered themselves at the heels of my now-middle-aged journey, perspective is the thing that has brought order and meaning to the chaos. It composes all the elements of my experiences and presents them in a focused, understandable realness. My perspective on living is uncomplicated. Not gaudy or gilded. No convoluted philosophies. Just the simple flourish of a deep conviction: God is faithful.
I am centered by this single truth. It gives my existence clarity and meaning. It has not been a shelter from disappointment or pain. But it has been a wellspring of inspiration and hope. It is neither a position I try to defend nor a belief I need to explain. It’s just how I see life. And it’s how I define the stuff of life. God is faithful.
My husband is gone on a short mission trip. No one is home but the poodles and me. I could have spent my time feeling lonely. I could have let my mind wander to thoughts of missing my daughters during the holidays. But God is faithful. And in the quiet, I felt His gracious presence. And I took pictures.
Photograph, for me, is an allegory for my life perspective. It challenges me to take the depth and poignancy of living and capture it within the boundary of a frame. Yet, even in the capturing, each picture reminds me of how very small the frame is.
So I decided to share three of the pictures with you. They were taken today from my back porch. Each photo is a picture of my iron railing, taken from a different angle. The photos are about the tranquility of a chilly autumn rain. And the richness of solitude. And the peace of burnished autumn color.
And the beauty of perspective.
For the LORD is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations.
Psalms 100:5 (NASB)
Perspective.
Psalms 46:10-11
Lesa K. Reid
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,for His lovingkindness is everlasting. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so . . . Psalms 107:1-2
Saturday, November 15, 2008
A Perspective
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Autumn Pathways
Pathways are trodden
in forest leaves
across meadow grasses
between familiar memories
among unfolding dreams
through the minutes
and the days
and the years
of a passionate life
so that maybe
someone else
might follow
and find the treasures
too.
Psalms 46:10-11
Lesa K. Reid
in forest leaves
across meadow grasses
between familiar memories
among unfolding dreams
through the minutes
and the days
and the years
of a passionate life
so that maybe
someone else
might follow
and find the treasures
too.
Psalms 46:10-11
Lesa K. Reid
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