We're trying to do some work on our house to bring it out of the 1970's. So, the popcorn texture on the ceiling is gone and we've got some new paint on the walls.
Marcus, Kelsie and I were all painting away when Nancy walked into the room looked at the wall Marcus was working on and said, "You missed a spot." She rapidly followed it with, "Oh, and one there. And over there."
You could tell by his expression Marcus was about to "hand" her his roller.
Marcus wasn't doing a bad job, there were just some things he couldn't see from his perspective. Nancy wasn't trying to be critical, she was just standing far enough back she could see where his roller hadn't laid paint evenly.
We need relationship. We can be too close to a situation to see it clearly. We get so caught up in the pace of life, we don't always take time to step back and evaluate how we're doing. We need people who can come to us and say, "You're missing some things."
We need to "paint" together. Marcus may have received the advice better if Nancy had been rolling the wall with him. If we are not sharing life with someone, we should not expect them to receive critique from us. The right to speak has to be earned, usually by lots of time walking through life together.
Time adds perspective. Nancy came in after some of the paint had time to dry. There were spots she could see that weren't clearly visible earlier. In the same way, there are things you can see in your 50's that you just can't in your 20's.
It's why parents are constantly telling their kids what to do even after they're adults. Part of it is muscle memory but it is also because time has provided perspective. The problem is, if we aren't "painting" with our kids, it doesn't matter if we're their parent.
What makes me wonder is, if I can gain perspective in 20 years, how can I possibly understand the perspective of an eternal God? The only thing I can think of is through time, relationship and a lot of painting together.
Marcus, Kelsie and I were all painting away when Nancy walked into the room looked at the wall Marcus was working on and said, "You missed a spot." She rapidly followed it with, "Oh, and one there. And over there."
You could tell by his expression Marcus was about to "hand" her his roller.
Marcus wasn't doing a bad job, there were just some things he couldn't see from his perspective. Nancy wasn't trying to be critical, she was just standing far enough back she could see where his roller hadn't laid paint evenly.
We need relationship. We can be too close to a situation to see it clearly. We get so caught up in the pace of life, we don't always take time to step back and evaluate how we're doing. We need people who can come to us and say, "You're missing some things."
We need to "paint" together. Marcus may have received the advice better if Nancy had been rolling the wall with him. If we are not sharing life with someone, we should not expect them to receive critique from us. The right to speak has to be earned, usually by lots of time walking through life together.
Time adds perspective. Nancy came in after some of the paint had time to dry. There were spots she could see that weren't clearly visible earlier. In the same way, there are things you can see in your 50's that you just can't in your 20's.
It's why parents are constantly telling their kids what to do even after they're adults. Part of it is muscle memory but it is also because time has provided perspective. The problem is, if we aren't "painting" with our kids, it doesn't matter if we're their parent.
What makes me wonder is, if I can gain perspective in 20 years, how can I possibly understand the perspective of an eternal God? The only thing I can think of is through time, relationship and a lot of painting together.
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