Do You See What I See?

Sometimes you just don't see it. You're too close, too ground-level.

That was me that day at the gardens. My mother and I went to a local place with acres and acres of gardens. It's a magnificent place. One you can get lost in, requiring a map as if finding your way around an amusement park.

We came across a small pond with floating white lanterns. They were interesting to see, but I wondered what to make of them. I thought maybe they lit up at night. Or maybe they have some practical use. We circled around the pond, and no matter what side we were looking at, it all posed the same question to me. I had no idea the point of all of it. But I knew there must be something about them I just wasn't understanding. I was right.

We ventured up the hill a bit and climbed one of the treehouses they have on site. And what a treehouse it is. As soon as we stepped through the door, my mother said, "When can I move in?" We both chuckled. All it needed was electricity and some running water and she'd be set. We climbed the steps to the second level of the treehouse and looked out onto the pond that we had just passed. I gasped.

"Oh wow! Look at the lanterns!" I said, pointing to the floating devices on the water. 

My mother joined me in my amazement, "Oh! I see!"

We both saw what we didn't see before. The lanterns were actually deliberately placed and created the outline of a branch with leaves! It was only understood and seen, though, from a higher perspective. I suddenly felt silly that I hadn't considered that earlier. Unless you climb the treehouse, you just won't see it, or even imagine it. Only those who choose to go higher can have the proper vantage point. 

And that's the Kingdom of God. We don't understand many times what God is doing when we look at it from an earthly perspective. It makes no sense. It has no pattern based on our own understanding.  

But when we choose to climb higher, we see it. We see the beauty. We see the art. We see His deliberate positioning.  We see that it was not Him that was confused and missing it all this time, it was us.