Seeing the Forest AND the Trees

There is a saying that goes, "You can't see the forest for the trees." It reminds us of a problem we often have in our Christian life. We lose sight of the big picture. We fail to remember when the drama began, how it began, and how the Lord was faithful through it. Especially in dramas that last longer than a television series. Even shows like "24" and "Lost" are forced into "recap" summaries that remind us of what exactly what is happening, how we got there, and what still needs resolving.

Jesus pointed out this problem with the Pharisees by saying,

Matt 23:24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. (NIV)

It is human nature to focus on the small, less important things, and miss the large priorities of life. It's also easy to lose sight of how your life is playing out, especially when it takes a while for the issues to be resolved.

A problem hits; we get upset; we pray; God answers by dinner time; all is resolved; we thank God and rejoice.

But what about when the problem lasts ten years or more? We still get upset. We still pray. God still answers. But over the duration of the drama we tend to lose sight of the big picture. We tend to forget God's provisions for us every step of the way, and the beautiful and miraculous way the Lord not only answered our prayer but built our character in the process.

We tend to see the trees and miss the forest. Miss the grand scheme of God's creative guidance and provision in our life. We miss this great opportunity to thank and praise God for the big things.

There is the story of the gentleman who wants to go to the symphony to experience Beethoven's 9th for the first time. He arrives late, falls into his seat, and promptly retires to the lobby after only 2 or 3 minutes of careful listening. In the hallway someone asks, "What did you think?" To which he grumbles, "I didn't like it very much."

Many times we are that man. We sit through an extremely brief portion of the overall symphony of our lives and complain that we don't like it very much. We take the short view and neglect the long one. We complain about the trees and fail to appreciate the forest God is creating from our life.

Moses was able to keep perspective- to take the long view- to see things from God's perspective. Toward the end of his life he writes:

Ps 90:1-2
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.
2 Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. (NIV)

We tend to lose perspective so easily.

Can you remember questions and problems you struggled with ten years ago? If you can recall even one, ask yourself, "How has God handled that one?" You will be amazed.

Last August our third and final child finished college. What a wonderful day! How our budget has improved since then. What a great new chapter we are embarking on.

But I vividly remember going with our first child to "college night" up at the high school. I was shocked at the costs, almost sick at the stomach. I had no idea where we would get the money to cover it.

I remember walking out of the front door of the school and praying a simple prayer. "Lord, unless you build the house we labor in vain. Unless you provide, I see no way through. I've trusted you for financial needs before, I want to trust you again."

Now, twelve years later, all three kids made it through and none had any school debt (for their undergraduate work). What an amazing journey it has been. What unusual and creative ways the Lord met our needs. What strange surprises along the way.

Keeping a journal can help. Reviewing old pictures. Taking time to reflect on the larger issues and trends of your life. Trying to see things from God's perspective-- seeing the big picture.

Seeing the forest AND the trees.