Snapshots
We had never been past southwest South Dakota in the north or west Texas in the south when we took a family vacation to the west coast in 1994.
We saw the Pacific Ocean, the redwood forest, the Golden Gate bridge, the Grand Canyon, and more. Being myself, I snapped many pictures — the children playing in the Pacific, the volcano crater in Idaho, the sunset through a storm in the desert.
Back then we used old-fashioned film. When we got home from vacations, we carried rolls and rolls of it to a local store to be developed. We didn’t know how our photos would turn out until we picked them up from the store.
Even while we were still on the trip, I realized that I would be disappointed when I saw those pictures. I knew that the camera would only capture a tiny fraction of the vast vistas we were taking in.
Even the wisest among us lives in a sort of photograph where we only see a part of the vast vista. God sees that great vista. He even made the vista. We can trust Him.
The Lord looks from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men;
From His dwelling place He looks out
On all the inhabitants of the earth,
He who fashions the hearts of them all,
He who understands all their works.
Psalm 33:13-15