Unity in seeing

PhotoFriday Challenge contribution to 'Best Friends' 

Unity ~  The quality or state of not being multiple (oneness);a condition of harmony (one accord); continuity without deviation or change (as in purpose or action);  the quality or state of being made one (unification).

Seeing things differently does not necessarily mean that we are in discord. Consider the body; arms, legs, eyes, feet, mouth, ears...all so very different in sensing, being, acting and participating yet all in one accord. Why does the body work well? Well aside from the fact that it was designed by an intelligent creator; it has a sense of order and each part accepts the other for what it is and the part it plays. Your arm doesn't try to hear any more than your lips try to walk because each part is designed specifically to carry out its function and only in that role does it experience unity with the body and a sense of achieving its purpose.

People are the same in relation to one another. What may seem like an unlikely match may work exceptionally well if each party knows and works within their specific role / function.  Take my dear friend and her other half; they seem to me to argue constantly much like milk and oil they don't seem to have elements that allow them to blend much. If you didn't know them you would think it an ill match indeed! But, upon closer observation one can see that their relationship works even though they are so different. They see the world differently approach life issues differently and respond almost at odds to each other. However, the inner working of their relationship (based on their Christian faith) allows those differences to become complementary and their different ways of seeing provide them with a wider view than their individual narrower views would allow. Their differences draw them together on the basis  and understanding of their faith in love and they have created a new way of seeing as a unit (it doesn't always sound it but there is oneness there!) Being and extrovert does not mean that introverts will be the death of you! You might find that they bring you the balance that you lack... and introverts, it wouldn't hurt you to be a little outgoing would it?

My Uncle John (God bless him!) is in his latter years, a calm, chilled out sort of gentleman who is really an amazing person to know and talk to. Well, when I first met Uncle John as a teen, I was loud, spoke too quickly opinionated and a bit of a bible basher to be honest, basically a handful! So as you can guess an instant clash of personalities! Over the years we did not see much of each other until last year when we both became unwell and trying to recover. I went to visit him with my sister, (at this point I am old and wiser and less 'bashy' with my bible and more graceful). I had started taking pictures of landscapes and Uncle John is a lover of art so, you guessed it, common ground was found and the result is a most treasured friendship.

There are two ways to approach difference; either to reject what we don't know or can't understand like I did with Uncle John or find the unity in a new way of seeing as my two friends did. Uncle John and I got a second chance but not everyone does... 

As people we were created to be relational creatures, hence the constant need for affirmation, acceptance, belonging and love, without which we feel incomplete in some way... Looking beyond ourselves and seeking common ground opens us up to a whole new way of seeing through people we would not ordinarily have come into contact or clicked with. We also gain a new insight into our own lives, who we are, our prejudices, misconceptions and error in thinking... 

The principle is this; 'different' is not to be feared but embraced for it is the bedrock of opportunity for us to discover unity in new ways of seeing and open a whole new world to us... Just the way bonding with my dear uncle opened up the world of art and history to me...

Reach out to someone and be the difference!

A picture is worth a thousand words!

       The sky never ceases to amaze me! I could spend the rest of my life just capturing the many faces of the sky and with each image a different story unfolds...

 There are times when words in and of themselves are a stumbling block, a hindrance to achieving your goal, whatever it may be...It is a great skill I think (and one that many of us are yet to master) to be able to detect when it is best to speak and when it is better to act. A picture for the purpose of this reflection refers to action / activity / a way of living. 

In a world where we are constantly assessing people and being assessed for what we have, how we look, our education, our pedigree and indeed our beliefs; often our words can let us down if they are all we have to show for who we are and what we stand for. 

Have you ever met someone who is constantly promising and talking a good game? Many are very good story tellers (no relation to me honest!) but their words grow empty when there is no action to follow. It reminds me of a declaration of 'love' (rather the illusion of love) from a man to a woman. Many talk of how they love and how they are devoted and yet their actions tell a completely different story or rather paint an unrelated picture. The old adage, 'a picture is worth a thousand words' could not be more relevant for our 'cheap talking' generation. My interpretation of it is this; words have a short lifespan of relevance,  after which if they are not followed by a pictorial representation (action) became meaningless and invalid. This is not only true in the realm of romantic relationships, but also in a business context, in social interaction between people and probably most importantly in living out one's faith.

It is best illustrated I feel in the practice of the Christian faith. Being a Christian myself I find that there is a great need for this skill of detection  in determining when it is time to speak and when its time to act (for those of us who are not good at it, the Holy Spirit helps us out). I would add a third consideration; one needs to know when to be still and wait for God's direction. When it comes to practicing my faith, I have discovered that words alone can become quite empty without the enablement of the Holy Spirit and the action of love to follow. This is best exemplified by Jesus himself who healed the sick and gave instruction as well as spent time seeking God for direction in prayer. The three truly are inseparable and often its the combination that brings the desired result...  [ Link: What did Jesus say? ] 

Happy feet

New shoes are by far my favourite things to get ever! The occasion is always right for a new pair of shoes! Its like being introduced to someone new, its exciting and interesting and heralds new possibilities and potentially good partnerships (if you pick the right outfit!) 
 So shoes, happy feet, baby feet...what do they have in common? Its all about how we walk! (and no not literal walking but the path we choose in life). 


Every choice you make in life will direct you down a particular avenue which will change the course of your life, maybe temporarily, but usually permanently. So what and how we decide, determines our walk in life. Each decision alters our direction and ultimately our destiny. Sometimes we enter new frontiers and we take baby steps, unsteady, unsure but cautious in the unfamiliar... then we get comfortable and charge around like toddlers at Legoland without really paying attention to where we are going... Until one day we wake up and  we are all grown up but still at Legoland! 


In the workplace, we are appraised monthly, quarterly, half yearly and annually. Why? because we are there to meet 'SMART' (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely) objectives. Our employers appraise us because they want to know that we are meeting our objectives which will result in success. This is a really good thing to do if you want to make sure your'e on track. I wonder how often people review their lives to see if the path they started out on to meet specific goals is still the course they are on now? Many people think over their day, their week, their month but not many people question the path they are walking on, why they are in that job, that town that relationship... if they are compromising their ideals and morals for something that may not even be what they set out to have... 


Happy feet are those that proceed with that 'first step' innocence and caution of a child learning to walk, allowing the excitement of a new pair of shoes to keep them optimistic about the future without getting lost in the Legoland of life's indecisions and red herrings that distract from the purpose we were born for.   
No retreat, no surrender!

Getting ahead

Head start - An early start that confers an advantage.

How does one get a head start in life?

Putting / sticking your head above the parapet is to be brave enough to state an opinion that might upset people and stand by what you believe (especially when its not popular!)

I am very opinionated and as a result I often get myself into trouble for saying or doing unpopular things. I guess it all stems from the fact that everyone is different and therefore the way we view life is going to be different too.

There is a school of thought that, ‘If you keep your head down (that is below the parapet) and conform, maintaining the status quo and work hard, then you will eventually get ahead…maybe…maybe not!

There is another school of thought, that of ‘putting your head above the parapet’, maybe it will be blown off! Maybe you’ll get a head start!

I have spent most of my adult life working ‘within the system’. It didn’t really work well for me because if I saw something I didn’t think was right, I didn’t like or thought could be done better, I spoke up and 9 out of 10 times I got my head blown off!

So I started to ask myself, ‘is it me?’ You know, ‘if one person calls you a horse ignore it, if three do buy a saddle? Well I went all out got new horse shoes, bits, saddle, the works! But it didn’t change the fact that I saw things differently, all it did was label me different and state that different is wrong!   

Well, I have made a discovery! Different in the right setting is great! Thinking outside the box opens your mind to a whole new world of possibilities! And if you can come up with ‘different’ ways to do things in today’s fast passed, quickly changing world with a lust for the latest big thing; then you have a head start in your career!  And maybe you may find that the rat race is not for you and you could discover a whole new world where you can work for yourself, reinvent yourself, even find yourself…

So putting your head above the parapet may not be so bad after all (so long as you pick your battles well and have something good to say!)