This is my world. Too often I only see what is directly surrounding me and my life. It is beautiful though, when I stop and smell the roses. These pictures were taken just off Nemo Rd, on the East side of Steamboat Rock Campground. On one side of me I see the fields and the hills. Near this field is a small creek bed running through it.
On the other side of the road, I see the cliffs high above me. On that cliff I can catch a glimpse of a flag far away.
Right below the cliff, and a bit further away, you have a beautiful creek winding its way through the trees. The cliff above is where the flag is.
On the west side of the bridge the sun shines brightly through the trees, sparkling in the water as it slowly meanders along. Stop and take time to “smell the roses” surrounding you. There is much more to see if you just look and listen!
In mid-September, I adamantly informed my husband that I was going to climb the backside of that cliff and stand next to the flag. He would not let me go alone, although he didn’t have much choice but to go along. It was risky for me to go alone, especially since we had to climb over logs and slippery rocks. I also found out this summer that I have polyneuropathy (a degeneration of peripheral nerves) that requires I use a cane when walking or hiking in areas I am unfamiliar with. I didn’t care. I was going even if I had to crawl!
It took us at least 35 minutes to climb the one-fourth mile or so. As we were standing there the view was breathtaking! I wanted to capture and savor every moment.
We then made our way carefully down the steep grade to the RZR. I could not help but think how amazing God’s creation is when you look outside your little box! I am grateful my husband took the time to come with me, despite his misgivings.
When I returned home and loaded the pictures onto my computer, I was stunned by the panoramic picture of the scene below the cliff! I thought about what we are discussing in “People of The Promised Land.” It is about doing for God and others. It is looking at another person and seeing them from the heart. It is not about seeing one piece, but looking at the whole picture.
God sees each of us every day, and he loves us no matter what! That is what he was telling me up there on the cliff. “It is much more beautiful when you can envision all of it as a whole.”
He showed me a “minute” glimpse of what he sees daily, The Big Picture.
To put the pictures of my small world into perspective, they are all a piece of the big picture above. When seeing the beauty of everyone and everything in its entirety, then we are looking through the lens of God’s eyes.
All of the beauty surrounding my little world, when put together is beyond awe-inspiring. Not everything is as revealing as the picture above. We have driven Nemo road countless times, and never realized the horseshoe diagram of the road.
If I am to see my life, and others, from an entirely new viewpoint, I need to put the pieces of my world together and move to higher ground. I pray I always remember to look at things through God’s eyes, and if I don’t… I hope God gives me a good nudge!
Nancy S.