People who live with purpose have perspective.  They have the ability to see the big picture as well as the ability to “zoom in” and focus on near-term objectives.   Perspective enables you to facilely move between these two views – you can understand the big  picture, while simultaneously managing and executing to the day to day activities.  Perspective comes from Latin perspectus “clearly perceived,” (per- “through” and specere “to look at”).

One of my mentors, Bobby Clinton, would often say, “Effective leaders view present ministry in terms of a lifetime perspective.”  Then he would turn in his Bible to Hebrews 13:7,

Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.

The word “consider” conveys the idea of looking at attentively and observing accurately, a good synonym for this word is “to reflect upon”.  We gain that perspective by studying the lives of leaders as commanded in Hebrews 13:7 and Bobby Clinton has dedicated his life to an intensive study of leaders’ lives.  The result of his research is the development of a timeline that helps us understand how God shapes an individual.  Here is an overview of the major categories of the timeline:

Sovereign foundations – God is working providentially in your life even before you know He is at work.

Inner-Life Growth – God is working in your heart to develop your character. If you do not learn the lessons then you will usually be tested again.

Ministry Maturing– In this phase you learn what competencies you have, every Christian has at least one spiritual gift.  Bobby Clinton notes, “In these first three phases, God’s work is primarily in the leader, not through him or her. Many emerging leaders do not recognize this, and become frustrated. They are constantly evaluating productivity and activities, while God is quietly evaluating their leadership potential. He wants to teach us that we minister out of what we are.” (The Making of a Leader, pp. 45-46)

Life Maturing – In this phase you realize not only what you can do but also what you are not to do.  You develop focus in your life and you realize that your relationship with God is paramount.

Convergence – Convergence is realized as you consistently respond to God’s work in his life.  You are in a role that ideally matches your gifting, passion, and abilities and you can say, “I was born for this!”

Which phase would you say you are in on your timeline?  Perspective helps you to effectively navigate through life as you realize what to expect next.  What does perspective look like?  Here are some examples of perspective related to everyday life:

He is no fool to give what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.  Jim Elliot

The mind is its own place and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.  Milton

When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.

Don’t take down the fence until you know why it was put up.

What you have is God’s gift to you.  What you do with it is your gift to God.

You can’t always tell which way the train went just by looking at the tracks.

It’s better to be down here wishing you were up there (related to flying airplanes), than up there wishing you were down here.  (This was told to me by one of my mentors in the navy as I was deciding whether to stay in the navy.)

Do not look to the ground for your next step; greatness lies with those who look to the horizon.  Norwegian Proverb

David & Goliath – People “He’s so big, we can’t kill him.  David “He’s so big, I can’t miss him.” (I love David’s perspective!)

Aim at heaven and you’ll get earth thrown in; aim at earth and you’ll get neither.  C.S. Lewis

A hound dog can whoop a skunk anyday, but it’s not worth the effort.  Vance Havner

It isn’t the mountains ahead that wear you out, it’s the grain of sand in your shoe.

No man ever steps into the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.  Heraclitus

Age is a question of mind over matter.  If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.  Satchel Paige  (I’m liking this one more and more as time goes on.)

We didn’t lose the game, we just ran out of time.  Vince Lombardi

When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute.  But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute – and it’s longer than any hour.  That’s relativity.  Albert Einstein

We are not retreating – we are advancing in another direction.  Douglas MacArthur

You get the idea – what’s a favorite proverb of yours dealing with perspective?

Dr. Rick Higgins

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University