It is icy, snowy and bitter cold, but not inside. Here it is warm and we’ve had an uneventful but relatively laid back day. Father, as we come together may I have open ears and an open heart. Amen.
Mark 1: 29-31 (<<click to read the passage)
perspective / pər-ˈspek-tiv / noun
the interrelation in which a subject or its parts are mentally viewed
Recently in my readings, keywords have been jumping out at me. And today as I read through my study Bible’s notes* perspective is my word of the day,
Each Gospel writer had a slightly different perspective as he wrote; thus, the comparable stories in the Gospels often highlight different details. In Matthew, Jesus touched the woman’s hand. In Mark, he helped her up. In Luke, he spoke to the fever, and it left her. The accounts do not conflict. Just as four people might witness the same even and all recount different details, so the Gospel writer simply emphasized different details of this story.
In life, especially in recent cultural mindsets, we are allowed to have different perspectives on things. Differences don’t necessarily mean division.
The old proverbial blind men encountering an elephant story communicates this concept exceptionally well.
A group of blind men heard that a strange animal, called an elephant, had been brought to the town, but none of them were aware of its shape and form. Out of curiosity, they said: “We must inspect and know it by touch, of which we are capable”. So, they sought it out, and when they found it they groped about it. In the case of the first person, whose hand landed on the trunk, said: “This being is like a thick snake”. For another one whose hand reached its ear, it seemed like a kind of fan. As for another person, whose hand was upon its leg, said, the elephant is a pillar like a tree-trunk. The blind man who placed his hand upon its side said, “elephant is a wall”. Another who felt its tail, described it as a rope. The last felt its tusk, stating the elephant is that which is hard, smooth and like a spear.
Lord Jesus, grant us patience that we may truly strive to bear with one another. We all have different backgrounds and they color everything we see and experience. There is definitely black and white by which we must abide but there are areas in our lives that are grey. Guide and direct us. Fill us with Your love and understanding when we interact with one another. Amen.
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Jan 20th, 2019, Sun, 5:33 pm
