"The View"

 

Our views are bounded and often restricted by our assumptions, biases, prejudices, convictions, and so much more.  Yet, if just for a moment, we could set aside those things, we might find such understand that it would allow us to see more about truth, reality, and life.

The Perfect Panoramic View

Imagine there is this very beautiful panoramic view, just perfect. The view includes all that you had ever hoped for in such a sight.  From sky and earth and from side to side it was captivating.  If it had a voice it would call to all who came by to stop a while and have a look into me.  Yes, into for one did not look at such a view but into.  

It would call out to all, "See me in the winter snows.  Watch me in the blooming spring.  See what is here in the summer sun.  Come and be mesmerized by the colors of fall." 

 "Look and see me in the flash of lighting as they play across the skies and the finds its way to earth.  Hear the thunder roll and echo through my canyons and valleys. Watch the rains as they play upon me.  See the morning fog as it seeks to hide in my valleys.  Hear the wind as it makes its way through me to you.  Watch as the rain washes and renews me and the sun glistens and shows to you more colors than you thought possible as it reflects and refracts off of a million rain drops."

Not only did it have life, it called to you and gathered your interest into the depths of the view and yet you knew there was more than one could ever see.  More than any paint could capture or photo reflect.  There was a certain enormity if not eternity of sorts as one could never tire of such a picture.

Captured with a Home

As it happens you decide to build a home and in that home a window.  A window placed strategically in such a way so as to invite any and all who entered to enjoy that picture—the interesting and captivating perfect view.  It would be an attempt for such a view could never be captured by a window no matter how grand. 

It would be a home but more importantly a place of refuge, a place of peace, a place where one would marvel at both the place of peace and the ever deepening panorama that stretched into what seemed to be the eternal distance.  Panorama?  Yes, but more properly panoramas as the wonderment of the scene was that as it drew one ever deeper into its beauty, there seemed to be more to see and such seeing brought seeking.

The Home is Built

So it is that you engage a contractor.  He sends over his architect who begins his work by asking you question after question.  Then he asks what restrictions you might have for the plans he is about to draw.  You add several and it is then the architect goes, he stops and views the site, and then does his work.

The contractor then has the builders come and do their work.  The landscape folks do their work according to the site plan.  Then of course the interior designer comes and does his work.  The list goes on and on of the people who come and work on the project.

The Unveiling Day

Then comes the big day, the day for which you had planned and waited—the unveiling day.  You arrive at your new home and from the moment you arrive you can see it is picture perfect.  Everything as you imagined it would be. You are some kind of excited.   From the moment you step onto the property there is a prevailing sense of peace and joy.

You take time looking at the landscaping all so perfect.  First you look around one side of the house and then the other and yes there is the view.  You anticipate seeing its magic, its majestic beauty from your home, a home that would welcome all who cared to stop by. A place of refreshing and reflection as one seeing the view could not help but reflect upon it.

Meanwhile the look of the flowers, the walkways, the house, are all so picture perfect.  It is like it is a cool drink for the parched soul. The character, the ambiance of the site, the way the home is situated on the site, the outside architecture is just perfect, just as you had many times imagined that it would be.

Present that day are all of the people who had a part in the project--project, what project.  It was a dream, yes a magnificent dream.  They are there waiting for you to enter your perfect home.  How excited they are for you to enter and to explore all of the rooms, nooks, crannies, etc.   Most of all you are excited to see the view that made all of this important even possible.

The Entrance

Then it is time to go into your home and to the view that was so important to the project.  The contractor with a hug smile opens the front door and says something like, “Welcome to your new….”  His words are lost to your shock.  You hear yourself gasp.  You stammer out, "Wha... wha… what happened to the view, what happened to the big beautiful picture window?  Where is it?  Something is wrong? This cannot be, it is impossible.”

The contractor nods at the architect who with great sensitivity approaches you and kindly explains. Do you remember that when we visited, you placed assumptions and restrictions on what I could and could not incorporate into the design?  Well following your words meant that the window you see before you is all I could give you.  Not only was the window much less than I wanted it to be and much less than it could have been but the view beyond is restricted, distorted, and not the view for which you had hoped.

The Offer

The architect continued.  If you would be willing to give up your restrictions and free me to redraw the plans and the builder to rebuild, then you will have your window.  You will have all for which you had hoped and more.  This is the offer I can make to you but, it all depends upon whether you are willing to give up your assumptions, biases, prejudices, convictions, etc.  So here is the offer, you have to decide. 

For the One who would seek Realty…

So it is with our views of truth and reality.  When our views are boxed in by our assumptions, biases, hard heartedness, prejudices, and druthers, it limits our view.  Said another way these are the things that block our views of many realities including that of God.

Ephesians 4:17-19 17 So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; 19 and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. NASU