Can You See That

I am sure as a child you remember hearing that phrase from your parents, older siblings or friends, “Can you see that?” I know our childhoods were probably starkly different, as my husband reminds me frequently. I just assume all children grew up bottle feeding lambs and calves, digging for night crawlers after rain storms, playing with wooden corals, learning to drive at the age of 9 by yourself, and fishing in anything from lakes to puddles usually bare butt. I assume all children grew up in the back country in Montana driving more than 15 minutes to find a convenience store and another 30-45 minutes for a grocery store. Where you can actually drive places faster than you could ever walk or run for that matter, even bike.

Right? Well, maybe you didn’t have my childhood experiences, but at some point you had heard your parents or someone point to something in the distance and say “Can you see that?” as you reply, “What?!” they then reply, “that over there the…..” Whether it was a distant star, an airplane, a bird flying over, an eagle, a birds nest or maybe it was an interesting individual wearing some outfit you’d never seen before (I don’t know, I didn’t grow up in the city).

I remember clear as day my father and brothers always asking “Can you see that?” They would point out the truck window, often times pulling off the road. I eventually understood it was yet again, another herd of elk, deer or a maybe a bear this time. I would reply “What?” even though I knew it was only one of 3 options and even though I wouldn’t be able to see it. I rarely could see what they could see. Sometimes even binoculars couldn’t help illuminate what was clearly in my eyesight.

“That over there, all those elk. There must be 50 of them. Look at the spread on that one. It’s huge.” After many times of this, so much even that my dad would be driving and say “Around this corner look out to your right, there’s going to be a herd of elk coming down the mountain to sun themselves.” More times than not I wouldn’t be able to see them, not because they weren’t there, but one my eyesight is horrible, two my sense of direction is horrible, and three I could never even see the landmark that was supposed to help guide me to them.

“There, by that tree right there in between the different shades of grass there, right where the mountains open up…” It wasn’t happening. I would eventually just reply, “Wow, that’s so amazing. Yeah, look at all of them” and often times, my family would reply “You don’t see them do you?”

I think of God and our destiny / promises in much the same way. I can imagine Him up there saying “Bryanna Can’t YOU SEE THAT!!??!! It’s beautiful. It’s right there, so close.” Often times we don’t see what our Heavenly Father sees. We don’t see or recognize what He does in us. We don’t see our future as He does, simply because we can’t see it always, but other times because we have lost focus, we are distracted by life, or we don’t want to even try. We focus too much on our circumstances and sufferings it clouds our vision.

Just like I couldn’t see what my dad would point out so many mornings, he would persist, pulling over the truck and trying to point me in the right direction. He didn’t want me to miss it. You have to see this!! God is the same type of Father. He doesn’t want us to miss our purpose, He shows persistence. “Can you see that……You don’t want to miss this Bryanna, just keep looking, keep moving forward. Don’t give up, you’ll see it. It will be yours!” 

He points us in the direction, encourages us on, promises us a bright future among-st the suffering, but we can’t seem to see it. “Where God? Where is my purpose? Where is the husband you said I would marry? The child you said I would have? The new house you said would be ours? The new job with great benefits? The financial breakthrough? The successful career?” We doubt, trying to look in the right direction, but to no avail.

It’s true, at times we can’t see it. But it doesn’t mean it’s not there. I couldn’t see the elk or the bear, but they were there. Sometimes I believed they were there, and didn’t question my dad. Other times I would question, “is there really anything out there, or is he just saying that, because he knows I can’t see them?”

How often have we questioned God in the same manner? I know I have. “Well I can’t really see you God, how do I know you have a plan and purpose for me? Are you really even up there?” All the while, He says. “I am here. Right here. Clear as day, I am here. The Great I AM.” Almost as if, how can you not see me!!

It’s like a marathon in so many ways. We start 26.2 miles away from the finish line, and even though we know we can’t see it and we won’t for 26 grueling miles and there looks as if there’s no end in sight, we know there is. We know the finish line will be there. We have faith it will be there, maybe not faith we will make it there, but it will be there.

I had faith the elk were there, but not faith I could see them. I have faith that my Heavenly Father has a purpose and a plan for my life, but I lack faith I will realize it.

His promises hold true, whether I can see them or not. They are there. Faith is believing in the unknown, the unseen. You can believe Heaven is real, even if you can’t see it. You can believe God has a purpose for you, even if you don’t see it right now or even in 10 years you still don’t see it. So maybe we should reply next time to God when He asks “Can you see that?” just as I would respond to my dad at times. “No I can’t see it, but I believe you Dad, I know they are out there.”

“I can’t see my purpose right now God. I don’t understand your plan or my suffering right now. I can’t see you. But I know you are a good, good Father. I know your word is true. I know you love me, and your ways are higher than mine. I know it will all work out for my good.” 

This is faith. This is believing, even when we can’t see it. This is trusting that what God sees, the future He sees for us, the promises He sees, the Victory He knows is ours, is coming and IS ours. This is knowing that we are victorious, whether we see the end in sight or not. Victory is ours!! I find hope in knowing this.

I leave you with this……

“True bravery isn’t feeling no fear – It’s being afraid and moving forward anyway.” Levi Lusko

Until Next Time Be Whole and Be Fit