The Peace of a Higher Perspective
So I recently had the opportunity to go skydiving and it was absolutely amazing! It's been on my bucket list for quite some time, and I figured, why not? My mom and I drove down to Moab early on a Monday morning and by noon it was done! It was kind of sad how quickly it went. But still definitely worth every penny! I, of course, did it tandem so I was with a professional. There was about 55 seconds of free fall and let me tell you, at 13,000 ft, it gets very cold. But it was amazing to feel the air rushing past at 120mph. It completely takes your breath away. After that the parachute is pulled and for just a few seconds, it's totally calm. No air rushing by, no cars zooming by, no humming of air filters, no ambulances or police sirens. For those few seconds, it's completely and totally quiet and pure. No pollution, no pipe exhaust, no smoke. Just you and a 360 degree view of the world. It's like nothing I've ever experienced.
That was by far my favorite thing about the whole experience. The professional I was with would twist the parachute this way and that way to make a fun ride, but my favorite was when he would stop and we would just float, suspended in a world of complete stillness. It was then that I realized the full meaning of "being still". Down here on Earth, there's always some sort of noise. Even in what may be a seemingly quiet room, there's the hum of the air conditioning or the vroom of cars outside. How then does the Lord expect us to "be still"? How do we find stillness in a world focused on fast-paced everything. How do we find a moment of peace in a world devoted to keeping up with the Jones'?
Being suspended thousands of feet in the air helped me understand what it means to "be still". I realized it's all about perspective, more specifically an eternal perspective. I would call that a higher perspective. When we were floating down, I looked at the teensy tiny little streets and the minuscule airport and almost laughed. They were so small! Almost indistinguishable.
How many things in life would appear insignificant and of tiny importance if we took a step back and viewed life with a higher, eternal perspective? I wager most things we worry about would almost appear funny. For example, when I was in middle school I would have to rush from school to dance, but because I couldn't drive yet, my mom would pick me up and drive me. There were several times when she was late and I remember having a panic attack because I was going to be late to dance. In those moments it was like the end of the world for me! I remember her saying once, when she was a little bit late and I was frustrated and anxious, that it was what it was. We couldn't turn back the clock and we couldn't make the other cars speed. It was what it was so I might as well calm down. I've thought about that so much growing up. And now when I look back on those stressful moments I almost laugh. If I could go back and tell myself something at that point in my life it would be to RELAX! Is it of eternal significance if I'm late? No. Will I be scolded for being late? Probably. But will it keep me from returning to my Heavenly Father? Absolutely not.
When we look at life with the insight that there is something greater beyond this mortal life, I know we will find greater peace. We might be living in a hectic and busy world, but I know it is possible to find inner peace and harmony. How cool would it be if each of us was like a big bubble of peace and inner stillness, walking through a crazy world? How many lives would we touch? What kind of peace would we bring to the world?
I'm not saying it's easy. As one who battles with anxiety and other things, it is a daily struggle to find peace. Sometimes I worry excessively over one little thing I said to someone or I irrationally think the world is going to fall apart because I missed one class. Not so! There are definitely things we say and do that have eternal significance, and that's important. But so much of the worry, anger, sorrow, anxiety, and pain of this life can be lifted when we look at life from a higher perspective.
So I'm going to try not to become frustrated when there's bad internet connection. I'm going to remind myself that life will go on if I'm late to class. I'm going to try and look around me instead of at my phone, because in the eternal scheme of things, the people I interact with and engage with will be more important than the buzzfeed video that makes me laugh. Let's try to look at life from a higher perspective, and perhaps we will be able to find a peace that we can't find elsewhere.
Simply,
Kenzie M
That was by far my favorite thing about the whole experience. The professional I was with would twist the parachute this way and that way to make a fun ride, but my favorite was when he would stop and we would just float, suspended in a world of complete stillness. It was then that I realized the full meaning of "being still". Down here on Earth, there's always some sort of noise. Even in what may be a seemingly quiet room, there's the hum of the air conditioning or the vroom of cars outside. How then does the Lord expect us to "be still"? How do we find stillness in a world focused on fast-paced everything. How do we find a moment of peace in a world devoted to keeping up with the Jones'?
Being suspended thousands of feet in the air helped me understand what it means to "be still". I realized it's all about perspective, more specifically an eternal perspective. I would call that a higher perspective. When we were floating down, I looked at the teensy tiny little streets and the minuscule airport and almost laughed. They were so small! Almost indistinguishable.
How many things in life would appear insignificant and of tiny importance if we took a step back and viewed life with a higher, eternal perspective? I wager most things we worry about would almost appear funny. For example, when I was in middle school I would have to rush from school to dance, but because I couldn't drive yet, my mom would pick me up and drive me. There were several times when she was late and I remember having a panic attack because I was going to be late to dance. In those moments it was like the end of the world for me! I remember her saying once, when she was a little bit late and I was frustrated and anxious, that it was what it was. We couldn't turn back the clock and we couldn't make the other cars speed. It was what it was so I might as well calm down. I've thought about that so much growing up. And now when I look back on those stressful moments I almost laugh. If I could go back and tell myself something at that point in my life it would be to RELAX! Is it of eternal significance if I'm late? No. Will I be scolded for being late? Probably. But will it keep me from returning to my Heavenly Father? Absolutely not.
When we look at life with the insight that there is something greater beyond this mortal life, I know we will find greater peace. We might be living in a hectic and busy world, but I know it is possible to find inner peace and harmony. How cool would it be if each of us was like a big bubble of peace and inner stillness, walking through a crazy world? How many lives would we touch? What kind of peace would we bring to the world?
So I'm going to try not to become frustrated when there's bad internet connection. I'm going to remind myself that life will go on if I'm late to class. I'm going to try and look around me instead of at my phone, because in the eternal scheme of things, the people I interact with and engage with will be more important than the buzzfeed video that makes me laugh. Let's try to look at life from a higher perspective, and perhaps we will be able to find a peace that we can't find elsewhere.
Simply,
Kenzie M
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