We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing Him directly just as He knows us!
1 Corinthians 13:12 (The Message)

Do You See What I See?

I was running an errand for work. I was at one of those intersections where the road is marked, indicating you need to leave space for the cross section. As I crept forward to the light, a woman cut me off, making it necessary for me to brake sharply. Someone else at the cross section tried to turn left in front of me, and they got stuck, and were blocking traffic. I paused so that they could move on before a pileup happened. Then, someone else cut me off! I’m a patient driver, so none of this bothered me too much. I finally made it to the red light at the intersection, and a man pulled up alongside me. He rolled down his window and angrily yelled, “You need to wake the *bleep* up!” He then peeled out. I was shocked by the rage in his voice.

Clearly, he wasn’t seeing what I was. In his mind, I wasn’t paying attention. I wasn’t preventing accidents; I was just taking my sweet time getting to the traffic light. He was so enraged, all he could see what was right in front of him, instead of looking at the big picture.

I’m sure you can tell where I’m going with this! How often do we do the same thing to God? It can be really hard to see the big picture, especially during times of trial. All we know is that we want to be at our destination NOW, and He’s in the way! This is a good reminder that we do not see what He sees. If we focus too closely, we can’t see the accidents He’s preventing. I’m sure if we knew just how often He intervenes to protect us, we would fall to our knees in awe and appreciation.

And for my part, I hope I never get so impatient with God being my Traffic Director that I rage at Him needlessly when He’s just doing what’s necessary for the journey. I may not always see what He sees, but I need to trust His vision over mine.

“Father, thank You for protecting us, even when we aren’t aware that You’re doing it! Help us to rest securely in You, and to trust You more, especially when we’re focused on what’s right in front of us rather than the end result. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”