The Corner Window: Exploring Perspective in Faith and Life

What we most need in life these days is perspective. Without renewing our perspective in life and faith, we will remain stuck—unable to cope; filled with despair and holding a faith that will not sustain us over the long haul of our lives.

I like this definition of this important word: “the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance.”

The key to having and maintaining perspective though, is revealed in the definition—we must develop and maintain the CAPACITY to view life, each other and world events to view things in their truth.

We need renewed perspective about life; aging, relationships, faith, God, health challenges; tragedy; wars; wealth, sickness, the afterlife and so much more.

No one has expressed this better than the scientist and theologian, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, in his magnificent prayer titled, “Patient Trust.” Here is an excerpt in which he unpacks perspective so beautifully for us:

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.

We are quite naturally impatient in everything

to reach the end without delay.

We should like to skip the intermediate stages.

We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.

And yet it is the law of all progress

that it is made by passing through

some stages of instability – and that it may take a very long time.

And so, I think it is with you;

your ideas mature gradually – let them grow,

let them shape themselves, without undue haste.

Don’t try to force them on,

as though you could be today what time

(that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will)

will make of you tomorrow.

This is prayer about developing patient trust—growing perspective.

It is time—it is life—that widens and wears out our capacity to regain perspective through the journey of life. The circumstances of our lives shapes our initial perspectives. When we are tired, weary and burned out, we lose not only perspective but we have little capacity to foster a broader, healthier and truthful view of life and faith. Perspective—the ability to adjust, change, modify and grow into larger faith, greater truth and brighter light is vital in our spiritual journey, we call, “life.”

Isn’t it so interesting that Jesus talked so much to us about the need for rest to “recover our lives” (Matthew 10:28ff, the Message). Rest cultivates renewed perspective. Busyness annihilates the heart—robs us true perspective.

We are reminded that perspective requires change, instability, insecurity and a certain thinness to our beliefs as we re-examine what is true; what is not; what needs to go; what needs to remain for us. Our perspective grows as we age. Our faith matures as we age—hopefully. “To not grow is the only sin” as one early church father reminded us (Gregory of Nyssa).

On my pilgrimage down under, we are currently staying with our son and his family who lives and works in Australia. They are going about their day to day—working, living and school activities and in-between being here, I am having time to read, think, wonder in the bush country and writing my poems. This is our first stop on this pilgrimage. We will travel on buses, ships, trains and planes as we journey up to the world we knew but what is true is this: our perspective about the world will change. It already has. This is the gift of pilgrimage. This is the gift of travel. This is the blessing of being a life-long learner and a person of faith.

My poems are a way of me documenting my capacity at this stage of my life. My poems are public ways for my to give a witness to my changing perspective. My book of poetry, Greening: Poems in the Unfolding of our Lives is my attempt to share my evolving perspectives and views of life and faith. Since I’ve been on this pilgrimage, I’ve been so encouraged to receive emails and texts from people across the world who are discovering my little book of poems. I’m grateful.

I am viewing life not only “down under” but seeing my inner world get stirred up by time zones, sleep adjustments and seeing so much “wild” life that I’ve never seen before: kangaroos, red-bellied black snakes (venomous), black swans nesting by a remote pond in the wilderness, koala bears sleeping in eucalyptus trees and birds—the likes of which I’ve never seen before.

But what caught my eye the most on this pilgrimage so far, is the corner window in my son’s home. I’ve placed a picture for you to see it—to see through it like I am doing every morning in my solitude and time of silence. This corner window has become a sacred spot—a place for me to reflect.

A part of any pilgrimage worth a pinch of salt, is to reflect. Many people take pilgrimages as tourist. To take a pilgrimage though is to become a pilgrim—to become someone who needs a different perspective. It is possible and probable to speed across landscapes to conquer miles, not gaining needed perspective. A pilgrimage, no matter the length of time or the miles traveled is only a pilgrimage if you are invited “in” as you travel “about.”

This corner window has become my invitation to travel in—to foster the capacity to live my life; enjoy my life and offer my life to others now, through my poetry and friendships.

Sit with my poem and see where it takes you. It does not have to be a literal “corner window” that you sit at, to foster perspective. But perspective is vital, key and important to a healthy mind and heart—to having a resilient soul.

“Blessed are those who set their heart on pilgrimage.”—Psalm 84:5

Every blessing from down under!

Stephen

---

To read my poems, you’ll need to upgrade your Substack Subscription. Thank you for making the choice to support my work as a poet at this stage and in this greening season of my life as a 71 year old human being.