One morning Ridley and I were on our way to school. As we drove down the street I noticed the beauty of the morning sky. The sun slowly appeared over the horizon, and it was as if God painted a masterpiece just for us, with pastel hues of blue, pink, and peach. Our only problem was trees, houses, and power lines blocked the splendor. I told Rildey if we could just hurry to the freeway, our view would open up and we could really enjoy the scene.  As I raced to reach open sky, I realized this was so much like my life.

I have beauty all around me…the laughter of my children, my husband’s tight hugs, spring tulips peeking out of winter’s ground, fragrant coffee, my dog’s warm body on my feet as I fall asleep…and my mind says…I’ll play with the kids after I do the dishes, or those tulips are pretty, but look at the overgrown shrubs that need trimmed. So often I allow the sweetness of my life to be overshadowed by the imperfect things in the way. The cares on my mind crowd out the lovely view, and I am racing to get to the point I can enjoy it.

As Dustin always tells me, the list never ends, just relax. The moment one thing is done, ten others move onto the list. I toil away and before I know it, the kids are asleep in bed, the tulips are withering, and I still have a list a mile long. And scariest of all, if I don’t change my ways, life will pass me by.  That perfect place I’m racing to does not exist this side of Heaven.

Ridley and I did get to a spot where we could see the sky with a less obstructed view, but there were still factories and zooming semis to take away from the serenity. I didn’t pay them any mind though. I just took a breath and said, “Help me Lord, to see your beauty all around today.” 

May that be our prayer. Let us not look back and realize we missed much of the magnificent masterpiece God painted just for us.