Many words have two meanings depending on their application. Take the word perspective as an example. It could mean drawing solid objects on a two-dimensional surface to show height, width, depth and position in relation to another seen from a particular viewpoint. Most of us consider another definition as being a point of view according to a particular attitude toward something. To highlight the second definition, consider the following words. Man, women, right, left, trans, slavery, critical race theory, pride, and status are all words that may strike a view according to your perspective. The following is a journey my wife and I recently took to celebrate our 46th wedding anniversary just to get away but opened our eyes to history and different perspectives according to what side you find yourself in understanding past realities.
Our anniversary falls on March 17th where most of us relate as St. Patrick’s Day. You may not believe this, but this day is more of an American day than an Irish day. Yes, it highlights the Irish man who in the 5th century became a missionary and eventually a bishop credited for bringing Christianity to parts of Ireland. That was in the past. Now, it is a big celebration second in size to Mardi Gras in many areas of the USA. When we got married in Scotland, March 17th it was a day the hotel could offer us for our celebration. It was not until our friends from American came to the party that we realized why they were dressed in green. Their perspective was to remember St. Patty’s Day while celebrating with us on our wedding day, but we were shocked to think that we would be sharing our day year after year. Fast forward 46 years and it is still a funny story. O well.
We decided to drive to Hilton Head via Montgomery for our anniversary. Little did we know at the time how our perspective may be changed by that stop in Alabama. First stop was the Wetumpka Impact Crater site. Almost 85 million years ago, a crater was created by a meteor. It made a crescent shape and is visible once your perspective changes from just natural terrain to that formed quite dramatically by an external force. “Because the area would have been under sea water at the time of impact, it is said to be “one of the best-preserved marine impact craters in the world”.” (www.wetumpkaimpactcommission.org) Did you know?
Our next drive was out to see Edmond Pettus Bridge. It is just a bridge, right? That could be your perspective if you have buried your head in the sand for half a century. A freedom walk started on that bridge in Selma over 50 miles away from Montgomery where it was concluded. That was amazing to see but what made it more relevant in our perspective shift was the Legacy Museum, the Freedom Monument Sculpture Park and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice all on Montgomery for a mere $5 entry fee. It was the best 6-hour exposure to the price of freedom we have ever spent. One of the curators said to me as I was leaving, thanks for coming. My reaction was pure emotional. I encourage you all to experience this peace of historical reality for yourself and then maybe your perspective may well be changed as we were. How many reasons does it take to lynch a slave? Walk along the museum and grounds at the National Memorial and you will be shocked what prompted a lynching.
We left Montgomery and headed to Hilton Head with a better understanding of what many of us may think of as someone’s opinion until we saw the reality for ourselves. At Hilton Head we just wanted to chill out along the beach and enjoy the festivities of St. Patrick’s Day on our anniversary. We did make a trip to the Discovery Museum to see some beautiful artwork of a resident in her late 90s still able to display her perspective in wild colors with each one telling a story. As we were leaving Hilton Head, we checked out Harbour Town Lighthouse. Again, a perspective change, as was not just another lighthouse but a whole community of things to see and do. Strongly recommend and allow yourself several hours to explore. After our exploration, we headed back home through the country to Marianna, Florida for a night’s rest then home the next day.
The drive was a bit monotonous, but we listened to an audio book called “12 Years a Slave”. You may have seen the movie version, but we listened with our new perspective as we finished our journey. We thought it was just a getaway for our anniversary. Reading in good ole google, the bible does not use the word perspective, but the emphasis is on the importance of seeing things from God’s viewpoint trying to understanding the bigger picture. As humans, are we able to see the future or bigger picture? Isaiah 55 indicates that God’s ways and thoughts are beyond us. However, Proverbs 3:5 tells us to trust the Lord with all our heart and lean not on you own understanding. What is life in biblical perspective? Life is action, faith, belief and relationship full of emotion, miracles and realities at our time in history. There are hundreds of other references so I will stop here and allow you to ponder for yourself this one final question. Are we acting according to the will of God or according to our human condition controlled by our present-day perspective?
