Beyond Tomorrow

As a beginner at photography I’m learning many things; one of the most important being that the lens will only focus on what is directly in front of me, making that which lies beyond, difficult to see. The above picture is a good example. I was looking far off across the street hoping to capture the Christmas Prayer Tree amongst the branches, but as it turns out, the branches in the foreground are about all you can see.

We’re kind of like that, too aren’t we?  Our desire is often to see through today into tomorrow or even further but….ultimately, we can’t see any further than what’s right in front of us in the here and now. Even as one who likes control, I’m certain it’s a good thing we can’t. Just imagine if Mary could have seen the big picture of being baby Jesus’ mother!

“When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Luke 2: 17-19 (NIV)

What would life have been like for Mary if in that moment she’d been able to see beyond the stable, star, and shepherds? The joys of that night and many others would have surely been blurred by the pain, heartache, and agony to come.

And what about us? We think we desire to know what waits down the road, to “look through the branches and see the tree.” But consider how our lives might have been different had we seen that each day was leading us closer to a pandemic or any of the other challenging things we all face in our lives, for that matter. Would we be able to live each day to the fullest, appreciate the present, or find joy as we waited for the future to come into view? I don’t know about you, but I think catching a glimpse of all that lies beyond today, or even this very moment, would turn me  into a portrait of worry and fear! That’s why I love how The Message shares Jesus’ words of instruction with us about this very thing:

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” Matthew 6:34 (The Message) 

Mary had no idea what waited up ahead as she traveled to Jerusalem or when she made her way up the path to Golgotha, but she did know one very important thing. She knew she wasn’t facing the future alone.

“The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.’ ”
Luke 1:28 (NIV)

We my friends, have the very same assurance!

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel which means ‘God with us’.”
Matthew 1:23 (NIV)

Yes, we can only see life as if through my beginner’s lens. What is far off is fuzzy, hard to make out, but we can do our best to zoom in on what is right before us. Only a small portion of the picture is visible to us now and that’s the way it is supposed to be. But someday? Someday, everything will come perfectly into focus so that we can behold the complete picture and finally see beyond tomorrow and on into eternity!

“For now, we can only see a dim and blurry picture of things, as when we stare into polished metal. I realize that everything I know is only part of the big picture. But one day, when Jesus arrives, we will see clearly, face-to-face. In that day, I will fully know just as I have been wholly known by God. 1 Corinthians 13:12 (The Message)

** Seeing beyond tomorrow takes on new meaning as our Five Minute Friday writing group is mourning the loss this week of our great encourager, Joe Siccardi who’s passing no one saw coming. Interactions with Joe always ended with his words, “Keep looking up!” That’s the lesson isn’t it? As long as we’re looking Up we don’t need to worry about what tomorrow holds because we know Who holds it! Please join me in praying for Joe’s family at this most difficult time.

To read more selections about the prompt “Beyond” click over to http://www.fiveminutefriday.com and please know that I never take for granted your being here.  It means more to me than you can know!