Seeing Things My Way
“I wish you could see things my way.” How many times have you heard that? Or for that matter, how many times have you said it? Typically when we hear or speak these words the intent is for someone to change another person’s perspective on something. It might have something to do with politics, religion or any number of other things. Regardless of the subject the point is that there is a desire to change one’s view.
As I write right now I am wishing a lot of people could see things my way but here it is not some viewpoint I’m thinking about. I mean it literally. I wish more folks could see things through my eyes because they are missing out on so much. It is becoming clearer and clearer to me that a whole bunch of people fail to see the beauty of Creation and also the presence of God in the midst of it. They seem oblivious to what is obvious to me. Now I will be the first to admit that I don’t see nearly as well as I could but I do feel that when it comes to “seeing Creation” my vision is pretty good.
What has got me thinking about this is a number of comments I’ve received recently about pictures I’ve posted on Facebook. I posted a close-up picture of a red flower last week and someone commented on how beautiful the center of the flower was. I got the impression this person may not spend a lot of time looking at flowers close up. Another person commented on an image of a dragonfly I posted. This time the comment was that they did not realize that dragonflies were so colorful. Once again it made me wonder if this person had ever made an effort to actually look closely at a dragonfly.
This afternoon I stopped to photograph a coneflower in the yard of some friends. At one point I stepped back and asked one of them if she would like to look through my camera. She expressed a degree of surprise at what the macro lens revealed. Due to prior experience I knew exactly what I’d see through the lens. She didn’t. I almost found myself wanting to say “I wish you could see things my way.” Fearing that what I’m saying may sound cocky I want to reiterate again that there are lots of people who see God’s Creation far better than I do and they also photograph it better but it just seems that there are too many people out there who aren’t taking the time to really see what is all around them. I want them to see more. I want them to see better. I want them to see things my way.
This desire springs from my wish that people would come to appreciate better the wonders of God’s Creation. If they did I can’t help but believe that it would have positive results. First, they would likely learn to appreciate nature more and would become true advocates for its protection and preservation. Second, they might very well find God’s fingerprints where they had not realized they can be found and in the process come to love God more and worship Him better. It is for these reasons I wish more people could see things my way. It is for the same two reasons I often find myself asking God to help me see more clearly. I know I have not arrived yet. I realize that I have barely touched the surface when it comes to seeing the wonders and beauty of Creation. I also acknowledge that my love for and worship of God constantly stands in need of improvement.
I have a sneaky suspicion that there are lots of times God says to me “I wish you could see things my way.” That’s why I sometimes find myself singing the words of the old hymn, “Open my eyes, that I may see glimpses of truth thou hast for me.” In the end that is my ultimate wish, to see things God’s way. Is it yours?
–Chuck
(I took all four of these above images recently near my home in Henderson, Kentucky.)