Perspective

“Perspective: When two seemingly parallel lines meet at a vanishing point on the horizon.”

My high school art teacher would be proud I still remembered that definition; it was drilled into us teenage students. This and the French alphabet still seem to stick with me. Anyway, recently, I came across some of my old high school artwork, particularly, lessons in executing examples of this artistic principle.

Yes, we’d practice working on our names, attempting to re-create the block letters of the “20th Century Fox” Film Company logo.

Get the picture? Eh, maybe my name in a high school art project isn't as epic as the film logo. But, nevertheless, we’d always work on creating elements of perspective, trying to make things “vanish” to that vanishing point, giving the optical illusion of depth.

It got me to thinking, what’s the focus of our perspective when we view ourselves? What illusion are we trying to create? What are we trying to make “vanish” in our lives? With eating disorders, it seems, especially, that we’re trying to make our bodies disappear. But there’s something more to it. A lot of us think that if we just try hard enough, work hard enough, perform well enough, we can make our problems- and literally, ourselves, disappear. The thing is, however, this objective, like an artistic study on perspective, is an illusion. It’s not reality, only manipulated “perspective.”

So, what can we look at, look to? Yes, I will answer with my typical answer: God.  And how do we view God? Through Jesus,

“…the author and the finisher of our faith …”

Hebrews 12:2

It’s about a change, a shift in perceptions. How can we even begin to view ourselves in a healing, healthy way if we don’t view God as Someone Who loves each of us, regardless of image or performance. Ah, yes amazing Grace!!!

“For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”

Romans 6:14