Point of View


A story heard recently told of two old fellows who lived on mountaintops. The mountains were separated 
by a river in the valley below.  

As a result of a long-ago feud, the two fellows hated each other.  They couldn't even remember how it all 
started but they continued it daily.  Every morning soon after sunrise, each of them would walk down their 
respective mountain to the edge of the river.  Standing on opposite sides, they would yell at each other.  
"Clarence,"  Buford would shout,  "You better thank your lucky stars that I can't swim or I'd be across this 
river and whup you!"  

"Buford," Clarence would shout back, you better be glad I can't swim, or I'd cross the river and you'd be 
the one whupped!"

Each would climb back up the mountain to seethe and simmer toward repeating the process the next day.  
This went on every day for years.

Finally a bridge was built across the river.  As construction progressed, each man yearned for the day he 
would be able to cross the river and whup the other.

When the bridge opened for use, Buford arrived first and hurried across.  But just as he reached the far 
side of the river, he suddenly turned and fled back across the bridge and up the mountain.  As he ran into 
the house and frantically slammed the door closed, his panic-stricken wife called, "Buford, what is wrong?  
I thought you was gonna whip Clarence today."

"I was, I was," whispered Buford as he cowered in the corner.  But I walked across the bridge and saw a 
sign that said 'CLEARANCE, 13 feet, 6 inches.'  He ain't never looked that big from acrost the river!" 

Perhaps this amusing story had a happier ending because Buford was so blinded by his years of bias that he did not look 
closely and see clearly.  In real life, failure to see clearly does not usually bring happy endings.  One of my greatest 
personal fears is the fear of blindness.  No, not blindness of the eyes, which would be a terrible thing, but blindness of the 
heart which is far worse.

You've probably known someone like that – someone who sees only slanted views, who closes their heart to objectivity 
and truth, who never sees the other side of the story.  Someone who believes only what they want to believe.  It may be 
an office associate filled with arrogance, seeing only his tiny selfish corner instead of the big picture.  It may be a biased 
parent whose child can do no wrong (there's a big difference in loyal support and selfish bias).  It may be a blame we 
ourselves are placing on a spouse or a friend…when some good clear introspection might point the finger in the other 
direction.

Sometimes things look different when, like Buford, we change our point of view, when we examine the situation, other 
people involved, and ourselves closely enough to see things as they really are, close enough and honestly enough to see 
the truth.  

In Ephesians 4, Jesus describes people whose hearts cannot see as ignorant, having darkened understanding.  In 
Matthew 23, he calls the same kind of people "blind fools!"   

Those are strong words, but words fitting to describe blindness of the heart.  You see, those words are appropriate 
because blindness of the heart is a far greater disease than blindness of the eyes.  One's heart, whether blind or sighted, 
controls attitude, which, in turn, impacts one's entire life, as well as the lives of others.

How's your vision today?  Is the heart controlling your life blind or sighted?  If you're having problems seeing clearly, the 
optometrist has no drugs or surgery.  It's the Great Physician who offers healing.