Perspective
“We humans have a very limited perspective on life, the cosmos and the divine. Our perspectives are limited by our own personal experiences, as well as our desires and preferences. Our personal perspectives are “one-sided” meaning we can only see things from our own perspective, whereas there are many ways to see things, including how God sees them. Humility reminds us that we really do not know everything and so must make judgments admitting our own limitations and thus open to another perspective, especially God’s. Instead of thinking what is good for me or what is in it for me, love tells us to think about what is in the best interest of others? Me-first thinking, looking out for number 1, and even nationalistic thinking (my nation first) are not guided by love for others, rather are based in self-love or just selfishness.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh)
“It is often easy to see when other people are blind to what ought to be an obvious truth. There is a common human tendency to become so focused on something that we lose the ability to see clearly. That is especially the case when we are overcome with worry and fear to the point that we do not have a realistic perspective on what is most important. Though we probably notice other people falling into this trap all the time, it is much harder to detect in ourselves. Our passions so easily make us blind to the truth and bring darkness to our souls.” (Fr. Philip LeMasters)
“… we people have within us a certain inclination…given to us by Christ when He created the world and us…It is that we understand that we have to solve a great problem: is there a God for us? If the answer’s positive, then another question arises: what do we do with the freedom we’ve been given to activate his image within us and make it into his likeness? Do we, then, exist in order to see everything from the perspective of our self, as a little god would? Of our self which, despite the fact that it has a beginning and end in the course of our life, we nevertheless believe that we still have time and that the end won’t come? Or even if it does come, that it’ll mean the end of our existence, our bodily and spiritual annihilation? Or perhaps we exist in order to encounter God and our neighbor in a continuous transcendence of the old person, our old self, so that we become a new person, who, with love will commit to God and share with others as much as we can- everything, if possible?” (Protopresbyter Themistoklis Mourtzanos)
“Filtering is the thinking error that occurs when we look at an entire situation and home in on specific negatives while overlooking positives that might balance things out. How often do we think about our day, our job, our friendships, or our family relationships in a way that filters out what is good while giving inordinate attention to what is bad? It can be easy for negative details to become so magnified in our thinking that we filter out more positive aspects that could bring things into a healthier perspective.” (Robin Phillips)
“If we begin with Christ Himself, what then do we know of God? We know that God loves us, that He is utterly committed to our true well-being, that His love is self-emptying and sacrificial. We know…what the “image” of God looks like, and what it means to be created in that image. We know that the self-emptying love of God, shown forth on the Cross, is the “wisdom, word, and power” of God. In Christ, we know the nature of the “good.”…What we do not know are many of the “large” questions that so enthrall the modern mind. We crave the “omniscient” perspective. Jesus does not give this to us. His disciples were particularly drawn to questions surrounding the “last things.” “Will You restore the Kingdom at this time?” Christ demurs, telling them that such things are known “only to the Father.” Apparently, not knowing such things is inherent to being human.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
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