Welcome to my homeschool blog, which offers insights into loving learning, loving your family, loving history, loving homeschooling, and enjoying your life! With your cup of coffee in hand, take a break to laugh with me, to have your heart refreshed, to be reminded of how cool your kids really are, and to consider the amazing adventure of being a homeschool mom. AND, if you are interested in the History Revealed curriculum, be sure to check out my Teaching Tips!

Eyes to See

 

Nine years ago, I posted a reflection on how we view the circumstances of our lives—whether we are able to see beyond the normal to the extraordinary background of God’s love deepening and infusing our lives in breath-taking ways. Perhaps now, more than ever, this is a good reminder to readjust our focus. . . (Note: We no longer live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, but we remain grateful for these spectacular memories.) 

Last Saturday, my husband and I took a boat trip from the harborfront in Seattle, through the Ballard Locks, and into Lake Union. What a treat! It was a beautiful afternoon, and I had my camera ready and waiting for some gorgeous shots.You know, living in the Pacific Northwest means that we have rainy mist and clouds for much of the year. Mt. Rainier, which is our premier mountain, is often invisible due to weather. But when it shows itself, the sight is spectacular!
 
Notice the difference between the photo at the top and the photo on the right.  What is missing?  You can barely see the outline of Mt. Rainier on the right. In fact, if you didn’t know it was there, you might not even notice the “smudge” that is a mountain.So what’s up with that? Where did the mountain go?

It’s something I’m learning about my camera. If I hold the lens in a certain way, I can capture the lighting just right, and the photo will be amazing. If I hold the lens less carefully, the view is completely different, pedestrian, and even boring.

Weird.

And, yet, it is a fabulous analogy of how we view our own lives.

Seeing God’s Goodness in My Experience

When I look at my current circumstances, if I hold the lens of my heart just right, I can see God’s fingerprints, His goodness shaping my experience.

If I hold the lens of my heart less carefully, the view is completely different. In fact, it might seem as though God was nowhere in sight.

I had a similar experience two weeks ago.

We went to Gasworks Park in Seattle, to celebrate my son’s birthday. I had hoped to get some spectacular sunset shots on this gorgeous evening, but my first attempts were less than satisfactory.

As I kept fiddling with my camera, trying different angles to catch the light, I found that if I was very careful, with my camera turned to the right exposure, I could actually capture something breathtaking.

This is what keeps coming to my heart about the reality of life on this planet. It is like the analogy of the two photos.

From one angle:

  • Difficult things happen.
  • We may be discouraged, diasppointed, tired, broke.
  • Life may look dull.
  • Our prayers may seem to hit the ceiling and splash back into our wounded hearts.

From another angle:

  • He is faithful.
  • He is merciful.
  • He is kind.
  • He is good.
  • He loves us completely and without measure.
  • He is wise.
  • And He is working something good for us in the midst of it all.

May He give us the grace and courage to adjust the lens of our heart to see His work in our lives.

Psalm 34:4-8
I sought the Lord, and He heard me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
They looked to Him and were radiant,
and their faces were not ashamed.
This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,
and delivers them.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the man who trusts in Him.”

 

 

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1 Comment

One Comment

  • Nicole says:

    I just wanted to tell you that I really appreciated this “Eyes to See” article and the “Crowded Kindnesses” email article. Very encouraging and very timely as we have been facing tough times for a while and I need to continue to see what God IS doing when it feels like He isn’t answering our prayers. Thanks so much!

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