I enjoy the diversity of people’s perspectives.

Near the end of a conference, the worship leader announced we were about to sing an “old song.” That old song was Oceans by Hillsong Worship, which was originally recorded a dozen years ago. “Old” was definitely one perspective.

My seat wasn’t too far from restrooms, and I decided to make a quick trip so I could avoid the later lines. On my way, I heard someone say they thought it would be a good chance to take a break since the song is seven minutes. (In reality, the extended version is nearly nine minutes. The radio version is closer to four minutes.) While in the restroom, I heard someone softly singing along in their stall, since the voices of 13,000 people were reaching into every corner of the building. Of course, most people had stayed in their seats.

One song, one moment of the conference, multiple responses and perspectives. I know there were others that I didn’t specifically experience. Perhaps someone overwhelmed by the truth of the lyrics. Perhaps someone traumatized by the song at some point in their lives. Perhaps someone who had never heard it or disliked it. When I returned to my seat, I listened to the remainder of the song as I looked around the venue. I didn’t know what each person walked into the doors carrying, needing, or wanting. I sat in a restaurant a couple hours later and looked around with the same thoughts. How had their days been? What were they struggling with? Why were they at the restaurant with the people at their table? And I often think along the same lines as I watch people at the airport.

What about the people in my workplace or family? What varying perspectives do we each bring? How do our perspectives impact our priorities and responses? There is so much richness within the differences. We bring so much to the table when we come together. We might thing homogeneity is simpler because we’d all easily agree, but how unproductive is that, both as a group and individually? Growth is difficult when affirmations are constant. We need to see differences and wrestle with them to test us.

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