It's All About Perspective

It’s All in Your Perspective

Since it is fair and rodeo time, I thought it might be appropriate to share a story of Badger Mountain, the famous bucking horse. This story is a great illustration of how Tim's Grandpa Leo's perspective toward this horse made him an asset to the Bernard Moomaw Rodeo Stock Company.

In 1933, at a show in Waterville Washington, Leo had heard that there was a horse on a nearby ranch that had a reputation for being a great bucking horse. Always interested in a good bucking horse to add to his string, he and three bronc riders drove over to see just how good he was.

The horse was a 6-year-old bald faced bay called Badger Mountain. He had originally been owned by a Douglas County rancher, familiarly known as “old Man Badger.” The Willms brothers, the present owners, had bought him as a colt and had attempted to break him to ride. Neither of the two brothers could ride the horse, nor could anyone else. After trying to break him to work, they still couldn’t get the frisky colt to cooperate. By the time Leo and his friends arrived at the ranch, the Willms brothers were ready to sell. They decided to try Badger Mountain out at the Waterville rodeo grounds and put him in the chute. A cowboy who had just won the bronc riding at Pendleton, Oregon, agreed to give him a try. He eased down on the big animal, carefully placed his feet in the stirrups and took ahold of the bronc rein. Leo opened the chute and Badger Mountain jumped out. The cowboy came down after four quick jumps. Satisfied with what he saw, Leo made a trade and brought him home.

This famous bucking horse travelled from Omak to Calgary, Cheyenne to Fort Worth Texas bucking off cowboys all along the way. Badger Mountain was rated one of the top three bucking horses in rodeo at that time. In his first three years in the area, Badger Mountain bucked off every cowboy that got on him. Then after an attempt by some cowboy to foul the horse by putting a rock under the cinch, the horse started rearing out of the chute. After that Badger Mountain became famous for his eruptive rearing and history was made. Badger Mountain.” Dubbed “The Badger” by top hands, was given the title of National Bucking Horse of the Year 3 times.

I love this story, because I live in Waterville where Badger Mountain came from and can imagine this feisty colt and how he came to be. Many people had tried to break the horse and could not find a good use for him. Their perspective came from a different place than Leo. Leo on the other hand, had use for the horse in his bucking horse string. He saw the potential of a great bucking horse and from there history was made.

That brings us to my thoughts about perspective and how it is often the driver of how we think and act. A perspective is described as a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something, or a point of view. The reality is that we all have a perspective. Perspectives are developed throughout our lifetime because of our experiences, education, and influences. Perspective has an enormous impact on how we live our life and the decisions we make.

In our current climate of societal division, I am saddened at the level of hate and aggression that people have toward each other. I believe, at the root of people’s beliefs and standards lies a point of view or perspective as the driver of these emotions. The problem lies not in having a perspective, but in not being able to consider other people’s perspective.

Perspective-taking is the act of perceiving a situation or understanding a concept from an alternative point of view. After all, seeking to understand is one of the 7 habits of highly effective people. Simply put, we can be more effective by developing a deep understanding other people's needs and perspectives before we try to get our point across. We can definitely agree to disagree about beliefs, opinions and standards, but if we can take a moment to consider each other’s perspective, we can learn and grow a little by seeking first to understand.

Most importantly, getting God’s perspective on things should be our top priority. When we stay focused on God and His Word, we are empowered to take a more active role in changing our perspective. The Holy Spirit gives you divine encouragement and empowerment to think, act and feel in line with God’s will. Romans 12:2 says: Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of you mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. My hope and prayer is to be in God’s perfect will where my perspective is transformed by God’s perspective.