Hi, all. Just a thought to help start your weekend.

I am not a fan of heights. I have climbed a few ladders, but I always find it easier to go up than to come back down. As a young teen, I was on my grandparents’ roof many times cleaning off debris or taking care of some such item on my grandmother’s to-do list she mentally prepared before I arrived. And yet, getting from the rooftop back onto the ladder was often the scariest part of the job. I’ve climbed pecan trees in the fall to shake the big limbs, allowing the nuts to rain down. Thankfully, this ‘nut’ never fell out!

Why do I tell you that? Well, strangely enough, I find that very high places wherein I can be safely enclosed don’t bother me in the least. I’ve been to the top of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, a few times. I can see for miles across Missouri in one direction or Illinois in the opposite direction just across the river below. In this view, I was facing eastward, downtown St. Louis in the foreground.

Just off to the left, you see Busch Stadium, the home of the St. Louis Cardinals. Down that main street, about three-quarters of the way, one can spot Union Station which was once a grand hub for transportation. And near the bottom right is the museum referred to as the “Old Courthouse,” where the first two trials of the Dred Scott case took place in 1847 and 1850, part of a decade-long fight for freedom by an enslaved man.

On the ground, I have walked to all of these places, and I have seen the architecture, the height, and the intrigue of each. However, by looking down from above, I have a completely different vantage point and can see so much more. Because I rose to heights that challenged my idea of safety, because I stepped out of my comfort zone, because I did something I sometimes fear, and allowed myself to be many feet into the air, I received the benefit of the fantastic views. And, those views added to the knowledge I already had of each place.

Sometimes changing our physical perspective can positively influence our spiritual perspective. By stepping out of our comfort zone and going someplace we might not normally go, we gain a new perspective on other God-loved people around us. By visiting and ministering to those we normally haven’t, we can see beauty we’ve not seen in our regular routines.

I challenge you to channel the inner “Star Trek” in you. This week, go somewhere you’ve never gone before, either physically, emotionally, or spiritually, and allow yourself to meet and see others from God’s glorious vantage point. Once there, you’ll find it isn’t nearly as scary as you thought!

Just a thought. ’Til later.

Rev. Brad Campbell, mastah.pastah@yahoo.com.