“Creative people are always inventing their past, present, and future.”
I don’t think life is as objective as we would like to think it is. Discovering the lens in which we view the world versus what actually is can definitely be a journey. One of the notions that I think can skew our perception is proximity. Sometimes, we need to study the variable of proximity and its’ impact on what we see.
There are two word pictures that challenge me.
Street Lights & Stars
The first one was one dark night a few years back I was heading to a prayer meeting. On the way, I was struggling with internal discouragement as I don’t always experience the presence of God like others do. So often I will fall out of trusting the process versus the experiential nature that others seem to anchor their faith relationship in.
As I pondered this, the thought came into my head, “Wendy, maybe you are misjudging yourself and the impact of spending time with God.” As I looked up, I noticed the bright street lights. I thought about the fact that I was driving based on the brightness of the street lights. However, I asked myself, what if I compared the brightness of the streetlights to the brightness of the stars? Based on the brightness I can see, I would incorrectly say street lights radiate more than the stars, which is not true. Proximity would make me misjudge.
How many of us can appreciate the stars under bright street lights?
Short-Term Pain
Right now I am recovering from a knee replacement. The short-term pain has been a pain in the ass, lol! But because I am near the surgery, the perceived “brightness” of the pain is off the chart. It’s so bright it keeps me up at night. Yet it does not reflect the long-term truth that once this heals, it will be the first time in 14 years that I am orthopedic pain-free.
Though the proximity of pain and healing creates challenges in the current day, it is not a good metric to decide how my life is going overall. It would be silly for me to make long-term decisions based on that short-term pain.
So, I made a commitment to myself. While the pain shines so bright, I will not make any major life decisions. Also, I will not take my discouragement too seriously as it reflects a short-term truth that skews my views.
