illusions and faith

What do you see?
The old woman?
Or the young lady?
Can you see both?

This is a classic optical illusion; one I used a lot as a facilitator of workshops to show how two people can see two aspects of a problem, both valid but different.

Why am I sharing this today?
Because it powerfully shows us how we can jump to conclusions without seeing the whole picture. How sometimes we can be blind to all the possibilities, even when they are right in front of our eyes. How there are often two sides to the same issue.

And so it can be with the journey to faith.
It can seem as if you know all the answers, but who really does?
It can feel like there's no need to see anything else, but is that always true?
It can look like the meaning of life is unnecessary, but is that enough?

When I speak to Mike I often feel as if we are talking from two sides of a window. I see the old woman; he sees the young lady. We find it hard to see each other's perception of the world and it's meaning and the need (or otherwise) for a relationship with God. My hope is that one day we will both be able to see both sides and that the window will be removed.