Proverbs 20.12
“The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both.”
I want to continue with the theme of seeing, thinking, and listening. We must make it a priority to build skill in these essential disciplines, as they determine our effectiveness in every area of our life.
“Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.” (1 Corinthians 14.20)
“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Matthew 6.22-23)
In order to make good decisions, we need good information. We need to see situations clearly. We need to listen carefully. Clarity of vision determines quality of response. The more clearly you see a situation, the more effectively you can respond.
The challenge is that we don’t always see situations as clearly as we need to. Our perception is limited, but it feels complete. We have blind spots. This is The Spotlight Effect we talked about last week. Worse, we are often blind to our blind spots. We don’t know what we don’t know. We are unaware that we are unaware.
We need the discipline to expand our frame. Extend our vision. Broaden our perspective. Widen our lens. See what needs to be seen and hear what needs to be heard.
Here are questions to expand your perspective and help you see clearly.
- What do I not see that I need to see?
- What do I see but am discounting?
- What am I pretending not to see?
- How do others see the situation?
Consider the power of those four questions in the sales process, customer service, project management, a team meeting, and in leadership.
Consider the power of those four questions when you are in a conversation – or an argument – with your spouse? Or in a conversation with your children?
Trust God and do the work. Expand your frame. Extend your vision. Broaden your perspective. Widen your lens. See what needs to be seen and hear what needs to be heard.
