“Peripheral vision is important because it provides broad environmental awareness outside your direct line of sight, helping you navigate safely, react to hazards and maintain balance.” — Wikipedia
I knew it! Peripheral vision is important because it helps protect me from hazards and dangers. That’s why I use mine with elevators. smile
Anyway, on with my Notes.
It is wonderful living in an apartment building with an elevator, especially since I live on the fourth floor. I use it every day. And every day, I get just a little squeamish when the doors open. I stand beside the elevator as the doors slide open and use my peripheral vision to check whether anyone—or anything—is inside. Notice, I don't actually turn and look directly into the elevator. I just take a quick peek out of the corner of my eye in case I need to run.
I think this comes from watching way too many episodes of Law & Order, Castle, CSI, and other shows of that nature. I'm always a little concerned that something might be inside the elevator that I really don't want to see. Not that it has ever happened, and chances are it never will. Still, my peripheral vision sure comes in handy at that moment!
This week, I also heard a quote from Richard Dreyfuss about elections: “I have withdrawn from partisan politics. I am a constitutionalist who believes that the Constitution and the Bill of Rights must be central and the parties must be peripheral.” Interesting way to look at things, isn't it?
Then there is my friend Marie, who is having surgery Wednesday to tighten her eyelids and brow muscles bilaterally. The procedure will help her eyelids open wide enough on the sides to prevent the loss of peripheral vision that can happen as we age. I'm so grateful she is having this done and am praying that all goes well. I thought it was interesting that she shared this with me just as I was thinking about writing a Notes on this very word.
It used to be that I only wrote Notes of Hope when I heard or saw something three times. Well, there you go! Three times this week I've encountered the word peripheral. So, here you are, reading about it. smile
But seriously, let's talk about vision.
The church needs vision. We need vision. We hear about vision statements, vision boards, and vision quests. Having a vision is a wonderful thing, as long as it doesn't become tunnel vision. Tunnel vision happens when we become so focused on a particular goal that we fail to see what is happening around us. We concentrate on what is directly in front of us and forget to look to the sides. We may even miss the people God has placed right beside us.
God calls us to see more than what is directly in front of us. He wants us to notice the hungry, the homeless, the tired, the lonely, and those who might otherwise fall outside our field of vision. These are the people who can easily be overlooked when we become too focused on our own plans, priorities, and goals. The Bible contains more than 2,000 verses that call us to care for the poor, the homeless, and the vulnerable. One of those passages is 1 John 3:17–18:
“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”
What a powerful reminder! It isn't enough to talk about love, compassion, or having a vision for the church. We need to put that love into action. We need to look around us and actually see the people who need us. So, by all means, let's have vision. Let's set goals, dream dreams, and look toward the future. But let's not become so focused on what is directly in front of us that we miss the needs of those standing beside us. Let's keep our peripheral vision sharp. After all, we never know what—or who—God might be asking us to see!
And, of course, I'll keep using mine as I wait for the elevator doors to open! smile
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