Seeing With New Eyes

After I read my friend Dani’s description of the beauty spread out beneath her while sitting high up on a ledge 15,000 feet above the ground, I remembered a hike I took to the top of Mount Katahdin in Maine, United States.

Soaking in the view, I sat down, legs dangling over the mountainside, 5,269 feet (1,606 meters) above sea level. After a while, I looked down and noticed how far I would have to fall before my descent could be broken. Glancing downward suddenly made me feel dizzy. Confused, I could not think how to swing around and move away from the edge.

Even the memory of that moment sent fear clutching at my throat.

I compared it to the elevation of 15,000 feet (4,572 meters) my friend described, and my spatial right brain recalled Mount Everest is nearly 20,000 feet (6,096 meters) high.

That is four miles. My analytical left brain took note of the distance measured in kilometers and stopped to recalculate. At the same time, my right brain knew Dani could not climb so high. I kept speed reading through her story, trying to understand.

Dani’s companion said to lean toward him and close her eyes.

The plunge through the air put my right brain in a panic as I breathlessly skimmed through the rest of the story, anticipating it ending badly.

The dreadful suspense prevented my right brain from comprehending Dani’s excitement at her free fall. Then my left brain caught up, and demanded I read it again.

Slowly. Words like skydiver, parachute, gracefully coming down, and trust stood out where they had been overlooked before. What a difference these words made to my preconceived notion! How often do we skim through a biblical passage, seeing only what we expect to see? How can we read it anew, as if for the first time? Here are several suggestions I have found helpful: Pray for the Holy Spirit’s revelation. Lay aside predetermined expectations.

Slow down. Pay attention to each word. Mark repetitive words and numbers. They are emphasized for a reason. Look up the meaning of names.

Do they enhance the passage theme? Read a different version.

Write part of the passage by hand. Did you notice other important details? Analyze the structure. Can you find a chiasm? That’s a central feature (rising in the middle like a mountaintop), with correlating elements on each side (supporting the peak like opposite slopes). Enjoy discovering fresh insights, and praise the Lord for His wisdom!

Rebecca Turner