I just got a new friend. We got to talking about our love for the beach. As I’ve been in New York for many many years and I’ve spent quite a few days at the local beaches, I told her I’d like to introduce her to one of my favorite places. She’s also from Jamaica and had only heard negative stories about the beaches in New York – ‘there is no real beach here’.
I decided to use of one the last opportunities of the season to take her to one of my favorite beaches. It was going to be a relatively nice fall day – warm enough, even if it was fully overcast. As soon as we arrived, you could see her shocked expression. The 2 + mile board walk was spectacular. The expanse of the ocean and the beach was out of this world. We sat on the board walk, enjoyed a meal together and the peace of watching the water from a distance.
Then we walked down to the beach. As it was well off season, there were only a few visitors, which made it even more idyllic.
Having her visit my beach and sharing my perspective with her has changed her opinion of a thought she once was told by someone else.
Many times in our lives, we are told things, and because the person or persons sharing sound like they know all about it, we tend to believe without experiencing it for ourselves.
What is something that you can help someone change their perspective on? Not by forcing your opinion on them, but simply by sharing with them your views in a loving way?
These are the verses of scripture she thought of as she stood on the shores…
Psalm 19:1 NIV, ‘The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands’
“Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens… When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” Psalm 8:1, 3-4
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you that you can help us to garner lessons from the most random experiences. Help us to share our thoughts and opinions with love – and not by trying to force others to believe what we do.