Writing Off Sunsets

The last few weeks I have become enamored with taking pictures especially of the sunsets.  In the moments I am driving around taking pictures of God's glory, I understand what David meant in Psalm 23 when he says, "He restores my soul." Surrounded by His beauty I find peace and joy, and a thankful spirit, something that I sometimes lose in the midst of the busyness that I call my life.

The last several nights I have lost the sunsets to the clouds. The evenings are still beautiful, but that big ball of fire has been hidden by the clouds some time before it drops below the horizon. I thought tonight was no different. I saw the sun sinking behind the clouds, so I wrote off the sunset and went inside. I was sitting at my computer when I looked up and saw a pink and orange glow out of the corner of my window. I grabbed my camera and ran out the door.

The pictures really do not do it justice. I have yet to be able to capture the true color of the sun in those moments on my camera. I may not have been able to capture it, but I got to experience it. I drove down a dirt road trying to get the remaining bits of the sun before it disappeared.

And then I watched some birds playing over the water, thinking if I had brought a different lens, I could zoom in on them.

When I went home and was looking back through the pictures, I realized that I often "write off the sunsets" so to speak. Sometimes I look at a situation and think that the best has come. I forget that though I am limited by what I know, God does not have those same limitations. When I see something and think, "This is as good as it is going to get", God has the ability to make the next moments even more beautiful. He also has the ability to help us see them, even when we think we have seen it all.

These are the learning moments. The faith building moments. The moments where we can sit and feel guilty because we almost missed it. Or the moments we can praise God because we didn't. They can be simple and sometimes even profound. If we let them, they will give us strength for the next moment that comes along when we are tempted to write off what we can not see and remind us of the One who sees all.

"He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul;"
Psalm 23:2b-3a (NASB)

Focus Shift

I keep thinking that one day I will figure it out. I will wake up and my life's purpose will be clear, not only in the big picture of going to heaven and helping others along the way, but in the details, the job I will have, where I should live, which hobbies to stick with and which to give up. I keep thinking that one day all my random interests will just fall into place, and I will have this really sweet job that I love all the time, my relationships will all be perfect, and everyone I talk to will instantly know that the Bible will change their life if they just take the time to read it and apply it.

I think in some way I keep expecting heaven on earth. I forget that Jesus said, "In this life you will have trouble..." This was a guarantee. But not one without hope, He goes on to say,  "Take heart I have overcome the world."

So maybe I don't wake up one day with it all figured out. Maybe that is part of the test of faith.  Maybe it consists of taking it one day at a time and praying for my daily bread, instead of looking so far up the road that I allow the fear of the unknown to immobilize me. Maybe it consists of putting the right priorities in their proper place, of trusting in His love, and using that to keep me going. Maybe it is not so much that I know the big picture, but that my faith is in the One who does.

I love the stars, the magnitude, the way they make me feel so small, and help me understand the control of the Lord. I love that I can sit and marvel at their beauty and never have to worry about them careening into Earth to destroy it. I love how they move in perfect harmony, and that God has authority over each one.

I love to study the cells of the human body, the intricacy. There is so much detail in one tiny cell, an entire blueprint of the body. Not only does it contain the blueprint, but also the equipment to make the blueprint a reality.

These remind me that my God knows the big picture, and still cares about the tiny details. He is able to do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine, according to the power that is at work within us. Eph 3:20 So maybe my focus needs to shift, from "figuring it out" to accessing the power, and striving to love as Christ loved.

What if?

What if we knew in advance we wouldn't succeed the first time, but we tried anyway? Because we know that some of the greatest successes came out of the greatest failures?

What if we believed that success was something worth working toward? That it was a series of experiments.

What if we took those experiments and used them to discover what worked and why? And we put our minds to discover how to overcome or adjust the things that did not work.

What if we learned to apply these experiments to our goals? And instead of trying once and giving up because we "failed", we tried again applying the knowledge we had gained from the first time.

What if we learned to seize the moment with wisdom, not with reckless abandon? Understanding that some things once broken can not be made new, but also realizing that great things often come from what has not been tried before.

What if we applied these things to our faith? Knowing that we are not infallible, but trusting that if we will seek the truth we will find it. Believing that if we draw near to the Lord, He will draw near to us, and that He works all things for the good of those who love Him. Realizing that what we can see is what is in front of us, but He understands the big picture.

What if we expected of ourselves what we expect of beginning athletes? That to excel they must practice. That they will miss more than they make in the beginning, but that the time is well spent.

What if we looked at a quality finished product and realize that it did not just materialize out of thin air? It was thought up, designed, adjusted, and tested. Even after it is made available for use, someone is still imagining and inventing ways to make it better for future production.

What if when we faced struggles, we used them to make us better? We didn't see it as some thing that would break us. We used the knowledge from our past that would help us, overcame the thoughts that would immobilize us and had the faith to move mountains.

What if we knew in advance we wouldn't succeed the first time, so we tried anyway?