Perspective

I've been thinking about perspective while sitting at home battling the flu.

Yesterday, I came face-to-face with the reality of the California budget crisis. In my office was a person directly effected by the fact that the State of California wasn't sending out promised checks to help sustain state agencies. No matter what you think about the politics of this, it is more than just simple politics.

Also yesterday, totally unrelated to the state budget stuff, I received an email about a recent blog I wrote. It was eye-opening. It made me realize that I tend to be narrow-focused about things, especially when I write. There is a wider reality out there. I tend to live in a narrow, little world. I have my circle of friends who think like I do. I read magazines and books that match my philosophies. I even eat the same foods over and over again, rarely venturing into new things.

Jesus Christ can teach me something about expanding my horizons. He visited a wide variety of people, ate with them, and taught them the Truth. He died for the whole world in all its diverseness.

A friend of mine refers to the different denominations of Christianity as "tribes." I like that. It portrays the idea that while we are all different we do have some commonalities.

But there is also the fact that in the diverseness of Christianity we have many people at different places on the faith walk while being in the same faith.

The Truth is the Truth and it never changes - it is the same yesterday, today and forever. But it touches and shapes us in different ways and at different times because we are all different.

For me, the most important thing is to keep the channels of communication open. Keep talking. Keep listening, which may be even more important.