Niki Anderson ~ Author & Speaker

"Climb a tree. The view is better from on high."

Perspective makes the difference between a prickly situation and the sweet smell of a rose. Alphonse Karr

wrote, "Some people grumble because roses have thorns. I am thankful that thorns have roses."

This spring, while taking a break and waiting for direction, I've gained perspective from God's vantage point. It's made me think of this story from my first book, What My Cat Has Taught Me About Life.

Sarah's black cat, Bianco, climbs trees to test the grip of his claws, to flee from dogs, and to humor the local fire brigade.Like most perched cats, though inept at getting back down, Biano finds pleasure in the view from on high. The perspective above is different from the perspective below. Big things look smaller.

Cats enjoy heights, much to the chagrin of their owners. Like Sarah. The attaining of heights includes landings on the top of her refrigerator, on the topmost shelf in her home office, and on the uppermost box in her storeroom.

Outdoors cats are found on pinnacles of the roof, fence rails, and other high places like tall trees. Bianco rallied the neighborhood and the fire department one summer when he refused to descend a tall pine. Shy Sarah was embarrassed by the arrival of the big red truck and the commotion of children watching the rescue. The fireman quickly delivered Sarah's cat and placed him in her open arms. Hoping to console Sarah, he shared some insight. "You know, Ma'am, I think I know why your cat likes it up there. The view is great! From the top limb he can see that big old barkin' dog over there is chained up. And I bet you didn't know you've got wildflowers growing behind that seven foot fence."

"No sir, I didn't know," she admitted. Sarah wondered if perhaps Bianco's motive for climbing the pine was not to agitate her. If catching an overhead view of his world helped Bianco cope better on the ground, maybe she needed to do more climbing herself.

When Sarah's landscape now becomes imposing, she thinks of Bianco. If pressures, disappointments, and surprises depict a bleak scene on the horizon, she starts climbing. Prayer, uplifting literature, inspiring music, or friendly counsel are means that help her rise from her ground level perspective. Her outlook changes when she views her circumstances from a higher plane. Solutions are more visible and problems appear smaller. The view is always better from ON HIGH.

"Set your mind on things on that are above, not on things on the earth." Colossians 3:2

Financial constraints? Illness? Kids in rebellion? A testy husband or wife? Frustrations? Summer vacation impossible? If you care to share your limb-side insights, please post.