Cades Cove is an 11-mile nature loop in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, known for abundant wildlife viewing. It is rare that my husband and I don't see black bears, deer, wild turkeys, coyotes and other creatures in the wooded areas and meadows.
It is even more rare that we remember to bring our binoculars. We just forget.
One time when we did remember, I was casually scanning a thicket on the other side of a field, trying to adjust the focus, not really expecting to see anything at all. What appeared from a distance as a large lopsided tree was literally crawling with a mama bear and her cubs.
We observe a lot of wildlife on that loop, but how much more do we miss? Just because we don't see these wonders doesn't mean they aren't there. The bears may be having a rollicking party just beyond our field of vision. And yet we are taken back every time when one suddenly comes sauntering out of the forest.
God is here too. Why are we surprised at His Presence? How much more are we missing?
We see the dirt beneath our feet, an ordinary day ahead of us, a desert as far as we can see, and God says "Lift up your eyes." God has a bigger vision in this vista, this difficult situation, the wildness of this place that we wouldn't believe if told.
What is that dark spot way out there on the horizon? Not just a random clump of trees. But full of life.
Bring the binoculars.
Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? Isaiah 43. 19
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