Perspective.
Again!
Is it sunny or is it cloudy?
I was talking to someone recently about perspective. (Are you surprised?)
See, it’s a big subject for me right now.
That’s partly funny, because who talks about that stuff in a regular conversation, right?
But this person and I click on a very deep level: spiritually and emotionally.
Such a blessing.
She made a statement that made me run for my purse journal, to write down what she said. Yes, I have a purse journal. And I have a daily journal. And I have a business plan journal, and maybe more, but I can’t think of the others right now.
She said something like, “People will see blue sky or cloudy sky—on the same day.”
Now, that doesn’t mean the weather changed. It didn’t mean a storm had blown in, either.
It meant that different people see things differently, depending on the condition of their heart and how they perceive Who Jesus is.
Perceive.
See, the similar word there—perceive?
It’s haunting me!
Perspective means “mental view.”
Perceive means “to attain awareness or understanding of.” Also, “to become aware of through the senses especially: see, observe.”
Similar.
How we see things.
But I believe that how we see things is tied to the condition of our heart and what we believe.
If I have a taste for roses, romance, paintings about love, will I see things as all rosy and beautiful? Will I see blue sky?
Probably, but only if my love life is going well! Right?
If I love dark horror novels, whiskey, evil plots and gruesome visuals, I will possibly see the cloudy sky or worse. Hear a sunny weather report, but focus on the negative that will change and become stormy.
So, do I draw the storm in myself?
Lure it in? Call it in by my negative attitudes?
I have some—sometimes.
Negative attitudes.
Am I the character walking around with a storm cloud directly above just me, and it’s raining just on my head?
But I think it goes deeper than that.
If what a person views or is engaged with, like either the romance and roses, or the dark horror and evil, where does that go?
Like we see with our eyes, it goes in through the optic nerve to our brain. If it finds similar content there, it gathers and lives there, creating pathways and tracts.
But here’s the thing that intrigues me, too.
It doesn’t stop there.
The brain is connected to the brain stem … there’s a song.
Kidding. there is a song, but it’s true.
The brain is connected to the brain stem, then the spinal column and all the nerves in our bodies.
I’m very non medical. I have no degree. I have no medical advice—just observations—hence perspective.
What I see with my eyes, plus what I study, plus where God leads, results in perspective and faith.
But that’s just me.
What if?
I love those two words.
So, what if when I feast my eyes on horror and evil, those images travel through the optic nerve landing in my brain. Then the thoughts that are stacking up like tiny tree structures (there’s another word I’m exploring—structure) produce responses in the body.
Like, I need more.
Those pathways in the brain become like a muddy road that has been repeatedly traveled and then ruts dried. The tires of any vehicle almost fall into those ruts and are difficult to drive out of.
Same with the brain. Those pathways are like the ruts. The habits, or addictions are drawn along the pathways and we have a difficult time pursuing better habits, healthier choices.
Reading several books right now (surprised, right? LOL). The UltraMind Solution by Mark Hyman, M.D. And The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge, M.D.
I’m not medical anything, but I am always drawn to books about the brain and thinking and memory. To me the brain is a mystical organ. Again, if I were a scientist or doctor or researcher, maybe I wouldn’t label it as such.
But I’m not.
I just can’t get past the word perspective. (See earlier post and another.)
I think it’s related or relatable to the brain, the eyes, all the senses—for that matter.
Back to the meaning of perspective: mental view.
This word is taking on a much deeper meaning.
What if perspective means “What my heart sees?”
And what’s in my heart?
I’m reminded of this verse in the Voice Version: “Above all else, watch over your heart; diligently guard it because from a sincere and pure heart come the good and noble things of life.”
In the New Living Translation: “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”
And probably determines whether I see dark, cloudy skies or blue, right?
Anybody have more wisdom out there? How is the heart connected to the brain? Any books or websites you can direct me to? Appreciate it! Blessed!
