Recently I had to write a lengthy paper as part of my coursework in the Master’s Degree program I am in.  I completed the paper, proof read it, made several revisions, read it again, revised a little more, and finally I was satisfied with what I had produced.  As part of the courses I am in I have to submit my paper to a tutor who is tasked with helping improve my writing.  This is because I have not been in college in so long that I have gotten sloppy when it comes to the technical aspects of the writing process. 

Well, when I received my reviewed paper I was disheartened to see so many reviewer’s comments concerning what I had estimated to be a good paper.  I wondered how I could have possibly missed so many errors.  Then I realized, it is a matter of perspective.  I was so close to the project and the document that I was prevented from seeing what needed to change in the paper.  Wording that seemed fine to me as the author needed to be adjusted to fit the format of the project.  Formatting that looked correct to me as I read through it, in the eyes of a skilled editor needed to be fine-tuned.  By submitting my paper to the scrutiny of someone with a different perspective things I had missed were able to be identified and revised.

Jesus told His followers, “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak whatever He hears. He will also declare to you what is to come.” (John 16:13 Holman Christian Standard Bible)  I wonder if this different perspective might be part of the Spirit’s role in our lives.  He offers us the opportunity to submit our lives to His review, because He’s able to see things from not only a different, but a divine perspective, and then enable us to see areas in us that may need a revision.