It is rather intriguing how narrow my worldview can be.
I have a tendency to be fairly insular and have in the past considered myself a bit of an introvert. My recollection of childhood is one where I was familiar with the floors of many places, because I didn’t really have the confidence to look up and engage with others. I certainly much preferred to hide behind my Mum’s skirt and let her do all the talking, and withdraw.
As a result I wasn’t one for making friends easily, and as a result of that I never really felt a part of things and as a result of that my frame of reference for the world in which I live was rather narrow.
Thankfully some of that has changed over the years. What has helped to change that has been engaging with different people, learning from them and having my own narrow view tweaked ever so slightly.
That has had the effect of firstly highlighting the narrowness of my view previously, and secondly alluding that there is a way of viewing things far wider than I may have previously gathered.
Growing with and learning from my wife in particular has really showed me how narrow my view has been on life. Relating with her and letting her teach me how to love has really been an eye-opening experience. It has taught me the importance of God’s love as something not conditional on the others’ behaviour, but driven by a love from within that seeks to find expression without.
That perspective works in two ways. First it helps to love people who may not come across as particularly desirable or have that much in the way of endearing personal traits. That bit is not easy, for real. The job I do has the blessing of bringing me into contact with one or two individuals that fall under the category of having less that desirable strong personal features.
The job does not require me to ‘love’ them. It requires me to deliver the service I have and amend to their individual needs taking into consideration their personal context. Thus if they are not at the place to receive the service because of those less than desirable strong personal features, then I am not obliged to impose it on them.
Yet – and I can only credit the love of God seen in a wider worldview through the interaction with great people – these opportunities presented to me become chances to overcome evil with good, apathy with passion, pessimism with optimism and sour grapes with an abundantly fruitful approach to life.
The second way in which this perspective is particularly helpful is having the sense to perceive God’s gifts and embrace them however they are packaged.
In my previous very narrow perspective I missed out on God’s gifts because of the packaging. If the packaging was not to my suiting – if it came in a tough period in me life, if it came from one of those undesirable people, if it came but I wasn’t up for the activity required to access it, if it came from a different worldview from my own – then it would be overlooked or dismissed.
Can you imagine if my stuck-up, narrow-minded view was in effect when Jesus was around? I can certainly to a large degree sympathise with some of those in His era who were somewhat perplexed by this unassuming carpenter from out of nowhere without any backing to His name declaring His Messianic credentials through word and works.
Thank God, then, for a merciful approach to the human condition. Thank God that it’s begun to open my senses to accept His gifts from Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, atheists, agnostics, Man Utd fans, Star Trek fans (Trekkers or Trekkies), cheese lovers, smokers, soap opera enthusiasts … you get the point.
God as a result has been very generous to me through these people. Giving insight, wisdom, resources, encouragement, opportunities and strength through these sources. Even those with whom I’ve had an initial personal aversion have been the very conduits through which God has granted huge favours, only because His love compelled me to stick around and see what He had in store.
The journey is by no means over. I still come across episodes that highlight just how close-minded and insular I can be. Yet thank God that He continues to open up the door to walk through and see things from another point of view and as a result embrace His gifts in all kinds of guises.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
dmcd
Life With CD 