The Foreground

This evening, I was headed to church and rounded the corner to the view you see below...

We all appreciate a beautiful sunset, and this one was no exception. I snapped the picture, then continued on my way. As I drove, I thought about how this was not the most picturesque sunset I've captured. The roadway on which I traveled, the street signs and light poles nearby... the refinery in the distance. Nonetheless, I just loved taking it all in... the sky, the clouds... just a cool time of day.

As I approached my destination, I considered other angles but couldn't find a place from which to get a better picture... time was my enemy, as the quarry of this hunt steadily dropped below the tree line and other objects on the horizon. Those things which we refer to as the "foreground" of the image overtook the "subject" - the big fiery ball of burning hydrogen we call The Sun - as it fell out of sight.

I marveled at how the setting sun can be so moving that we really look past the foreground. We focus on the true subject ... much like looking at the Rocky Mountains. If you've ever been to Colorado, you know how futile it is to capture the experience with a camera (not that we haven't tried). That's because our attention, our focus, is drawn to the bigger picture...one not suited to a reproduction on film (or digital).

This week I've been reminded of how my life's challenges are really pretty small compared to others'. At a meeting, I rattled off the list of things I've been dealing with lately, then shortly learned of life-altering issues facing someone else. This person's situation is one of several I've known of in the last week or two. I realized quickly that I needed to regain my perspective of the big picture.

I am truly thankful for the blessed life I lead, regardless of the petty problems I face. When I focus on The Son... it all takes its proper place in the picture.

It's all just the foreground...

...

Trusting is the Easy Part

Lately we've been spending a lot of time focused on things that are ahead of us...

• Taylor's life has changed dramatically in the last couple of months with a graduation, wedding and starting a new job.
• Collin is in his second year of college and really starting to focus in on "what he wants to be when he grows up".
• Cody is now starting to look at colleges.
• My job is likely to be "in transition" soon, due to our company opening its brand new campus in Spring. Whether it's commuting two hours (or more) each day, or taking an assignment that keeps me in Baytown for a while longer, is still unclear.
• Stacey is finding challenges in each year's new crop of 4th graders, and inevitably looks ahead to testing season.

For most of my life, I've been able to quote Proverbs 3:5-6, and usually it's the King James version that I remember best:

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct thy paths.

I like other translations because they get rid of the thees and thous... here it is in the New American Standard:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.

Most translations are similar... and this isn't really about the translation. It's about the part of those verses that I usually put the emphasis on in my own life... and, more importantly, the part I don't.

I have always had an innate trust in God's hand in my life. From my youth, I have been able to see his direction more often than not... there have been some noteworthy exceptions, but that's a subject for another day. I usually find peace in the ability to let go of the details - that's the "lean not on your own understanding" part. I remember hearing the illustration of "laying it at the foot of the cross" and that has always reminded me who I should trust - Jesus, the one who gave his life for me.

Tonight I had a bit of an epiphany when thinking about how I've lived up to that second verse... I don't do so well at the acknowleging part. "In all your ways acknowledge Him"...

ALL... YOUR... WAYS...

Acknowledge Him.

Some translations say "submit to Him"... a slightly different spin on it. To be honest - I think I have an easier time doing that. Submitting, like trusting, is more passive; whereas, acknowledging is active. It requires I actualy DO SOMETHING. I don't feel as good about that one.

In all my ways, do I acknowledge him? Absolutely not... I know I'm not alone in taking God's presence in my life for granted, and in forgetting to give him the credit for everything He does. That doesn't excuse my failure.

So this is my challenge: to be more diligent in acknowledging him... all the time, in every way. After all, there are a lot of paths ahead of me and my family... and the straigher they are, the better.