Perspectives

The inability to "see the end from the beginning" is a frequently-used proverb about perspectives. It is true - back when I was 12, there's no way I could have pictured myself at the age I am now being the person that I am, and that's not even looking from the very beginning to the very end! Being able to move forward in faith when we don't know and can't see what lies ahead of us is a very important skill to learn, and one that needs constant learning.

Another truth that we often overlook is that we also can't "see the beginning from the end" quite yet, because we're not at the end! Looking at small examples of this can help illustrate the importance of this perspective though. There's only two men that I've ever been in a serious relationship with, but before them, there were several guys over the years that I had crushes on. The circumstances, however, were never conducive to anything more than mutual crushing (pre-serious relationships); naturally, that was incredibly frustrating at the time. I still enjoyed great (though even that was debatable at times) friendships with these guys, and I learned many, many things that helped me become a better person and that prepared me for future relationships. With "J", I learned about having pure motives, and I had to develop self-discipline and say 'no' to something I really wanted because it wasn't the right time. I also had to learn a bit of patience that that young man :) From "S" I learned a lot about loving people and he helped me to become more comfortable with myself. And countless others before and since have taught me different things that have helped shape me into who I am today.

Basically, moral of this post is that we cannot yet see our current trials/successes in 20/20 hindsight (or even less than perfect hindsight). So even if things don't seem to make sense as they're happening, just wait a while, and sooner or later you'll be able to see why something happened the way it did. Some things may have to be revealed after our mortal life, but we'll know, in time...