![]() I was laying on my bed, staring out the window at the web of tree limbs that criss-crossed and tangled against the backdrop of the deep blue sky and thought to myself, "How can anything ever make its way through such a mess of branches? It would be crazy trying to manuever your way through that maze!" Suddenly a little bird flew into view and landed on one of the tree branches directly in front of me and my eyes focused on the tiny, feathered creature. He had no qualms about how he was going to fly through, what seemed to me like a vast, endless, not-even-worth-trying mess of solid, tangled trees. Yet, without even a pause, he flew away into the woods, perfectly capable to go where he needed to go simply because God has given him the instinct and know how to deal with, again what seemed to me, tough circumstances. I began to think about how easy it looked for the bird and moved my head a bit. It was then that the view changed and things did not seem so tangled anymore. My eyes focused on what was directly in front of me instead of focusing them on what seemed so far away. A little intrigued at the change one little move had made, I sat up and again the view changed so I could distinctly make out each tree, where each branch began and ended, along with the fact that I realized that most of the limbs were up higher and became less tangled and more open as I looked closer to the ground. It was all because my focus changed as my angle changed. I have been feeling a little stressed this week, concerning different circumstances in my life that do not seem to be going as I think they should, or because I feel like I cannot take everything that life seems to throw at me. There are times I focus on the past and think, "This never worked for me before, so why should it work now?" Or I remember how I was hurt by doing something before and do not even want to try doing it again for fear of getting hurt again. We all get tired and worn out, sometimes feeling like we cannot take any more, beaten down by circumstances in life that never seem to end. Whether it is by family, children, friends, jobs, sickness, you-name-it, there is always something around the corner that is ready to tackle us and hold us down in what looks like a tangled mess. Yet, the Lord is showing me, once again, to change my view a bit. If I turn my head slightly and stop focusing on what is far beyond my reach (what seems like an impossible end!) I can take the time to look closely at the next step, closer to the base of the tree, the Foundation, and carefully make my way down the path that He wants for me. Yes, I am to have goals and work to meet those goals, but in the process of striving for the perfect end, I must continue to keep my eyes looking to Him: "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." He will make the path clear from all tangled webs, and make a way around the difficult bends. Remember, all we need to do is just change our perspective and we may see things the way God wants us too.
1 Comment
Rachel
1/19/2013 03:57:47 am
It is amazing how things change when we change HOW we look at them. Thanks for this little reminder!
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