Perspective: a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view. Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, March 20, 2023

The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. Proverbs 4:7

Insight: the capacity to gain an accurate and deep intuitive understanding of a person or thing. Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, March 20, 2023

The Andy Griffith Show was a sitcom that ran from 1960-1968. Andy Griffith played a widower, Sheriff Andy Taylor and he had a son named Opie. They lived with Andy’s Aunt Bee in Mayberry, North Carolina. With virtually no crimes to solve, most of Andy’s time is spent philosophizing and calming down his cousin Deputy Barney Fife. Opie was played by an actor / director you might know named Ron Howard.

In one episode, Aunt Bee was given a ticket by a police officer in nearby Mount Pilot. The police officer said Aunt Bee failed to put on her blinker to turn and Aunt Bee was devastated because she insisted that she did. All during the episode, Aunt Bee tried to convince Andy that she had done nothing wrong but Andy took the side of the police officer. Through several events, Andy had an epiphany. He drove to Mount Pilot at the exact time of day and recreated the position of the car and where the police office was posted. As always, brilliant Andy found that because of the reflection of the sun and the way it hit Aunt Bee’s car, you could not see the blinker light up.

Perspective: the police officer had one perspective about the situation and Aunt Bee had another. From the police officer’s position, it appeared Aunt Bee did not have her blinker on before she turned. Andy showed, from another point of view, the police officer would have been able to see that Aunt Bee did turn on her blinker.

When you are in a disagreement or conflict with another, stop and think of the other’s perspective. What is their point of view? What experiences have they had that would give them a different perspective?

Relationships need not be destroyed over misinterpretations, miscommunications or a different perspective.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:31-32