The 30,000 Foot View

When is the last time you paused to take in your 30,000 foot view?

It’s easy to get caught in the weeds of our everyday life isn’t? The little struggles and challenges that add up until we feel like we might lose it. I don’t know about you, but when I have those days (or weeks), it’s easy for me to lose sight of all the blessings that have been bestowed upon me. Instead, my view becomes clouded and I find myself only seeing the things going wrong. Like a set of dominos set into motion by one ill fated moment, I easily lose perspective of the bountiful grace that has shaped my life. Instead, one domino falling leads to another, and then to another. Suddenly, all of my senses seem to only take in that of misfortune.

The child sleeping through the alarm for school and their inability to understand the words, ‘hurry up’. The rush out the door. The unexpected traffic. Realizing your about out of gas. Arriving late for an appointment. No time for coffee. Forgetting your wallet at home. And so on, until your blood pressure rises and you feel spent, even though your day is just beginning. You know those days? We all have them. And likely, we have them often. We get so caught up in the minutiae of the negative, that we lose sight of all of the beauty that surrounds every day.

Not so long ago, I was feeling weighed down, caught in this vortex of all the things going wrong, all things that were hard, all things that weren’t going the way I’d hoped. I needed to pull myself out of the depths and climb the hill for a better view. And guess what, it works! Have you ever flown into your hometown, after traveling to another city, and as you fly overhead, you notice the beauty of the very city you live in that most days you ignore? The lakes, the skyline, the hills dotted with trees. All things that you drive through and live amongst every day, but often miss. It’s amazing how when flying high above it all, you get a totally different and more favorable perspective.

This is what we need to do, when things get overwhelming. Move from where we are standing to get a different view. Climb a hill, and notice the beauty that we’re missing among the chaos.

The kid sleeping through his alarm? Yes, it’s a nuisance and can throw a wrench in the day. But really? In the scheme of life and all that can go wrong? Sleeping through an alarm is not a big deal. It may add a little pressure to the day, but hey…in less than ten years, he won’t be living in my house anymore and I’ll be missing him. Traffic? Sure, it’s irritating. But when I get stuck in traffic, I’ve learned to get intentional with that time to be quiet with my thoughts, to make a call to a friend I haven’t talked to in a while, or to listen to music that fills me with joy.

My point is this. It’s all about perspective, right? And this isn’t a new story. We get these reminders in the books we read, the quotes on Pinterest, the sermon at church. And yet, we still need more reminders. Because life just happens. It moves fast. And sometimes, we just forget to be intentional with our thoughts. And so now, when I start to notice this happening, where I start to feel overwhelmed with ‘to do’ lists, places to go, and the ‘hurry up’ way of living, I pause and imagine I am the woman in this picture. Standing alone, on a hill that overlooks my life, at twilight. Can I see the beauty of all that God has blessed me with? Or am I missing it? When standing here, the view is incredible. It is easier to see the blessings, the love, the light that is my life. And I’m filled with gratitude.

And so I suggest to you, when things get harried and feel out of control, take pause. Climb to the top of your hill and look out over the blessings that have been bestowed upon you. Write them down. Take pictures of them. Commit them to memory. Say thank you. And breathe. This my friend, is your 30,000 foot view.

Isn’t it grand?