As I sat at the park Sunday morning before church, I looked out of the passenger side window of my truck and I saw so many trees, and I couldn’t help but think to myself, “These are same trees that were here when my grandpa played at this park, and that brought me a sense of nostalgia.
Then I turned my head and looked out of the driver’s side window, and I saw rocks of all shapes and sizes piled up along the side of the riverbank, and I saw the water flowing steadily downstream with the sun reflecting off of it, making it sparkle, and I thought to myself, “God your creation is so beautiful!”
Then I looked up and I saw the 3 towers that hover over the Dam, and I thought to myself, “God you are so mighty!”
And then I think back to another time that I sat here in this park, almost in the same spot, and things were not going so well in my life then, so I thanked God in that moment for saving me, and then I shifted in my seat, and I closed my eyes to pray.
When I opened my eyes afterwards, I was looking out of the windshield of my truck, and my view of the river was obstructed. The frame of the truck that goes around the side of the windshield split the river in half from that angle, and it blocked the rocks all together. I could also see the blue city of Lansing trash can that sat directly in front of my parking space, and I thought to myself, “What the heck?”, and then I thought to myself, “God, what are you trying to tell me?” Then, as I sat there, I heard His still small voice and He said, “Sometimes your view is just obstructed, you can’t see everything right away.”
So, I thought about that for a while, and I realized that when I sat in that same spot a little over 2 years ago, all I could feel at the time was pain and heartache, sadness, shame, and regret, and I wasn’t really sure how life could go on at that point, but what I didn’t realize then was that my view was just obstructed.
I couldn’t see myself sitting there praising God like I am today and thanking Him for the joy that I find in His creations. I couldn’t see myself shifting positions and looking out of one of the other windows for a better perspective, but now I can, and that is why I am thanking God today for all of the many different views and perspectives that He gives us, even the obstructed ones because these are the ones that make us appreciate later on, what we have been through, and how far we have come. These are also the ones that show us that God’s promises are true, and that even in our painful seasons, He will make beauty out of ashes, just we are told in Isaiah 61:3, where God’s word says that He will “comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion, to bestow on them a crown of beauty, instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”
You see, our sorrow can leave us feeling defeated, but when we fully give ourselves over to God, our view of these sorrows will change, and even though the circumstances might remain the same, we can change the glass that we look at them through.