Seeing the Big Picture

Snapshots are helpful for remembering.

We are enjoying a family wedding weekend and are surrounded by the presence of friends and siblings and extended family who have come from far away to celebrate tonight's marriage of Mary and Jeffrey. My sister created lovely flowers from kumquats, lemons, kiwi and citrus flowers in the morning as the weekend began. I wished for a way to capture last night's dinner under ancient cedars and oaks at Quiet Shades plantation on the skirt of the Mississippi Delta, but the camera could not take it in. I could never see the big picture in my camera. The view finder was severely limited by what was immediately in front of it.

So as we looked upon the massive cedars standing as sentries towering upward into the evening sky, the camera's eye revealed only a limited tree trunk view. As I gazed upon the broad porch of the old home with guests spilling onto the lawn which was spread lavishly with round tables bearing elegantly draping skirts topped with white lilies beneath the shade of a monolithic oak, music and laughter filled the spaces between the fireflies and the candlelight at sunset. Yes, it was quite a picture. I felt transported into a movie scene. I yearned to capture the images to remember and share, but it would not be constrained into the small format of my trusty camera. No matter how I adjusted the focus or tried to expand the wide angle view, I could not take in a picture big enough.

Some things in life are too big to fit into a small box.

Have you had that experience also? We discover certain scenes -- relationships and emotions, as well -- that are too large to be stuffed into a box. They defy containment.

When we live life in its fullness and experience God as reality with God's Spirit present with us, we learn that our faith will not be reduced to a sentimental keepsake like a lock of hair or worn love letter from the distant past. This is no 'snapshot faith' for the scrapbook, but a vibrant, living relationship with One Who calls to us I AM.

The God of the universe is bigger than our view finder and larger than our limited experiences will allow us to capture. We can, however, know the power of God's Presence in the present and trust in God's provision for all the tomorrows that lie beyond our field of vision. May we find contentment even when we cannot see the whole picture in this life.

" ...A mind focused on the Spirit will find full life and complete peace. " Romans 8:6a The Voice