Journeying to Grace

If you went on vacation this summer, you probably took numerous photos. Maybe friends and family sent you photos of their special time away, too. Photos of scenery, of people, of monumental items or historical places. I’ll often select the ‘gallery’ icon on my cell phone and glance through photos I’ve saved there. Even though I have looked at them many times before, I enjoy seeing them again, especially the photos of loved ones. Not long ago, since I was already familiar with the photos in general, I studied them a little more closely, more completely. I happened to focus on some of the scenic backgrounds and realized I had been missing, or at least been overlooking, part of the photos. The background is not only part of the picture—and part of the story—it helps make the picture whole.

As I reflected on the physical backgrounds in the photos, I considered some of the situations, decisions, and challenges on my mind. Similar to how I view the photographs, I tend to just focus on what’s in the foreground/the main subject without much thought as to what surrounds it, what is in the background, how it got there, or what may be contributing to it. By doing that, I’m missing part of the overall scene; I’m not getting the whole picture. What details, what elements—what possibilities—could I be overlooking? Do I need to look beyond, be more aware, be more open to options I hadn’t considered? Is there something in the ‘background’ of the situation that God wants to show me? Could I be overlooking Him and His guidance?

With turning the page of the calendar to October this week, I made a commitment to myself for the month. I will be trying to have more focus, to be more aware of what God is inviting me to, and to do my best not to overlook what might have been there all along. To help, my special prayer this month is for the grace of awareness, so I will better see what the Lord has to show me.  We need the entire picture in our hearts as we pray on the situations, decisions, and challenges that come our way. May the gift of awareness bring us insight and clear vision of the possibilities and promise God has for us.