When you can't see the view

Yesterday, I took a walk with a friend with plans to hike up a hill, sit on a bench and enjoy each other's company over coffee, donuts and a great view of the valley. When we got to the bench, though, we quickly realized that the shrubs and trees had grown and filled out in such a way that our view was obscured. Instead of a sprawling landscape of farmland and mountains, we were sitting just feet away from a wall of green. Not quite what I had pictured.

Yet, as we sat and talked...it didn't take long to marvel at God's creation right in front of us. The sunlight cast a beautiful hue on the red berries dangling from the tree above the shrubs and we were not the only ones who thought it was worth looking at. Soon, a hummingbird joined the party followed by a Monarch butterfly that landed on the berries and gave us a moment to excitedly point with amazement before it flitted off to other perches.

I couldn't help but think how much that scenario reflects my own life. How many times do I desire to see God's "big picture". I want a grand view of the landscape of my life, seeing and knowing the vistas of the future. More often than not, though, my view is obscured by the ordinary, by the daily...by things that look little more than shrubs and trees. It doesn't seem very exciting or very revealing. But as I fix my eyes on what is before me, if I seek to behold God in the ordinary, it does not take long to see His beauty, His work, His purposes...even if just for that day. And I realize, again, that I don't need to see the "big picture" in order to praise, worship and give glory to God right now. The Lord is near...and that is enough for my soul!