Earlier this week, I had gotten off work with enough day light left to walk to the beach and catch the sunset before my drive home. I was so grateful for a walk in the fresh air after wearing a mask all day at work. The day was a bit overcast, windy and cold by Florida standards (50 degrees F) . As I was walking, I enjoyed seeing birds flying head strong into the wind and others just coasting along with the wind. As I got to the beach there were several other people there bundled up and watching the sunset. In particular, I remember seeing a mother and daughter with their dog. It was a cute little mutt looking dog. They watched the sunset for a bit and then headed down the beach. That evening there were many clouds in the sky. I really enjoy sunsets when there are clouds present. To me, clouds seem to adds another layer of beauty and dimension. There is something about sunsets and their beauty. They are a reminder to me of God and His majesty. I feel a special closeness to my Creator in those moments. How is it that each sunrise and sunset is never the same?!!! That in itself is amazing to me!! The colors are often so vibrant and breathtaking. Try as I might, I can never fully capture their beauty in a photo. There was a cloud layer along the horizon line that evening, so I didn’t see the sun touch the water, but the colors and dimensionality created by the clouds as the sunset was still very beautiful! My perspective!

As it started to get dark, I started walking back to my vehicle. It was a 15-20 minute walk and I wanted to get back to my car before it was totally dark. On my walk back, I came to a crosswalk and on the other side was the same mother, daughter and their cute little dog. A car was coming up to the crosswalk and the little girl said” look mom, it’s daddy.” The vehicle stopped and they walked over to get in the car. The father commented to his wife that he was coming to join them to watch the sunset. She replied saying” It was awful. It was cloudy so you couldn’t even see it”. As I walked across the crosswalk, I had to chuckle to myself. I thought- WOW “perspective”. Her perspective was very different from mine. It was a reminder to me that perspective is everything and it varies between people based on our attitudes, experiences and expectations. We get to choose our attitude and while we can’t always choose our experiences, we can choose how we will respond to them. It make me think about my responses to what “my expectations” may be versus the how things actually unfold. Do I let my focus on the missed expectations cause me to miss the beauty and glory of the current situation that God orchestrates?

Perspective as defined by the dictionary app- ” the faculty of seeing all the relevant data in a meaningful relationship; a mental view or prospect; the state of one’s ideas, the facts known to one, etc, in having a meaningful interrelationship”. Something to ponder: could trying to see and understand another person’s perspective when it differs from our own give a more complete view? It’s like looking at a clock and if two people are seeing it from different angles, their perspectives will most likely be different, but does that mean it’s wrong, or is it just different? Maybe trying to understand these differences could open doors of understanding and maybe even be an opportunity for growth, healing or innovation in some cases.

Lord, I pray that I will never let my expectations or desires keep me from seeing and appreciating the story You are writing for my life. Lord help me to always respect and try to understand the perspective of others while also being able to see Your perspective on things in my life. Thank you Lord for Your grace and gentle correction when I miss the mark in life and thank you for loving me where I am, while growing me to be who You designed me to be. Lord I pray this for each person reading and I am grateful for the beauty in each sunrise and sunset. I love you Lord. Amen