Transom

Our time together yesterday morning started with optical illusions. The best reactions from those gathered were to this classic:

The Young Woman / The Old Woman

Some of us had seen it before, but there were audible gasps from those who hadn't when they saw the old woman for the first time (or vice versa). The staggered nature of the gasps was what made it priceless.

Our devotions focused on Jesus helping people see things differently. Think Emmaus Road, Peter's vision of a sheet with animals, or "You who have not sinned, throw the first stone." The scripture we read was Acts 9:1-5.

To be greener, the houses at the Welcoming Place don't have air conditioning, but they do have three whole-house fans, one in each wing. In the lounge area of the house, there are posted instructions that recommend running all three of them at night while the rooms' windows and transoms are open. I remember thinking a couple days ago, "Well, of course, the transoms are always open. I just have to open the outside windows at night and close them in the morning."

This morning, I was stretching on my foam roller when, with my head upside-down, I noticed the hooked stick hanging by the hinges of the door that could be used to close the transom. I think I actually said "Oh!" aloud. It had taken me five nights in this room to notice something so simple, but that I didn't know was an option since I lack experience with such things.

In our small groups today, we reflected on how we could keep our eyes open to seeing God's presence where we're going, even when it might look different from what we expect. We can ask others—who have experience in a particular context—for their perspectives. But sometimes, we don't even know what questions to ask. In that case, it can help if we force ourselves to look from a different perspective... perhaps by hanging our heads upside-down.