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The Right Perspective
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The Right Perspective
I learned the most amazing thing this weekend. I learned how to screw a hose on a faucet, on the very first try.
I’ve always had trouble screwing hoses on water faucets. I’ve tried desperately to understand the mechanism. I’ve tried memorizing which way to turn the hose and cute little sayings like “righty tighty.” Nothing helped but trial and error and I was baffled. Why couldn’t I get a hose to go on, on the first try?
“Bob,” I said in frustration. “I’m a smart person. It seems like I should be able to get this. There must be something I’m missing here. I’ve tried memorizing that I need to turn the hose coupling clockwise but every time I try to memorize it, the next time, I have to turn it the other way to make it work.”
“Cheryle, it depends on the faucet. You have to look at the faucet from the perspective of the hose. It’s always clockwise if you think like a hose and not a faucet.”
OK, I confess that sometimes when Bob tries to explain things to me, I don’t listen. Being the engineer and geek that he is, he occasionally gives me more information than I need or want. This time, he had my attention. I could tell I was on the verge of understanding something that had eluded me my entire life.
“Tell me what you mean?” I sad. “Explain more.”
“It can feel like clockwise and counter clock wise, depending on the position of the faucet. Don’t think like a faucet. Think like a hose. If you think like a hose, it’s always the same way.”
Suddenly, I understood. Some faucets are pointed out and some down. I was thinking like a faucet and trying to make “righty tighty” work with the faucet’s perspective. That meant about half of the time, I was turning the hose backward. To screw on a hose, I needed to use the same hand motion, regardless of where the faucet pointed.
Now that I’m thinking like a hose, I always know to turn my hand inward. I grinned the next time I set Happy up for camping. With the right perspective, hooking up the water hose was simple.
As I set up Happy the next time, I thought about the importance of perspective in my life. Occasionally, I get confused about what I’m called to do. On this journey, I can start thinking my job is to lead people to Christ, to write stories, to sell books, or to pass on words of wisdom to the people I’m meeting. When I think like that, I’m disappointed or annoyed when frustrating life experiences get in the way of what I consider “my job.”
My only job is to offer myself to God as a servant, to use as He wills. If I think from the perspective of a servant, my spiritual hoses always go on. With a servant’s perspective, I don’t find myself complaining about cleaning up after sick dogs, working long hours, or the bruises I have from banging my body against the tight spaces in the camper. Yes, I still find sunsets a special treat. Being allowed to share Christ is an honor that will always take my breath away but real joy comes from having a servant’s perspective. With a servant’s perspective, I relax, accept my assignments, and find contentment in what ever I’m doing.
Matt 23:11-12
But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. NASU
Mark 10:43-45
but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.NASU
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