Have you seen the highly emotional videos of someone who is color blind putting on those magical glasses and seeing color for the first time? Without fail, they erupt in a flood of emotions, moved to tears over the sheer beauty of the world around them in this new dimension of full color. Yesterday I was watching one of these videos showing a man receiving the gift of these special glasses watch here. He put them on, seeing red and green and blue and purple and yellow for the first time in his life and through the tears he said “I’ve been missing so much.”
I’ve been missing so much. I see life in full color, but I too have been missing so much. I fail to see life as God sees it. What God sees and what we see is the difference between black and white and full color. And my sister, you’ve been missing so much. The moment you get a glimpse of your life the way God sees it, it will all make sense. It will all be more beautiful than you imagined. And much like those videos that make me cry every darn time, we’ll be in awe over it all.
God sees our life from the very beginning with the end in complete view.
Proverbs 5:21 says “For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all your paths.”
He not only sees where you’ve been and where you are right now, but God knows exactly where your life is going. He knows the end of the story. Everything is in his full view. Because he knows the end of your story, he can guide you in writing each chapter with a full awareness of how it ends. And not to spoil the story or anything for you sister, but it all works out pretty darn well for you.
But today you woke up in the middle of your story where all you see is all you’ve been through and all that exists today. You have a limited view of your life. You do not see what God sees. And so the things that happen, the twists and turns and ups and downs today, this week, this year don’t really make sense to you. But you’re missing so much. If you could only see the full story. You’re seeing in black and white, while God sees it all in full color. It all fits together perfectly in God’s view. It all makes sense when you know the end … but you don’t know the end, you just have to trust it. You just have to trust the dull gray you see today is actually the most brilliant color your eyes will ever behold. You just don’t get to see it quite yet.
But even more than your story, God sees YOU different. You don’t see yourself as God sees you. There is this person you think you are. This person who wakes up tired, this person who struggles to stay out of the darn pantry all afternoon long, this person who thinks really random bad thoughts and goes down these crazy rabbit holes in her mind. This person who gets a little wrapped up in her own world, makes a big deal out of stupid crap, and kinda misses the boat with some important stuff. This person who occasionally gets it right and knocks it out of the park, but then wonders what everyone else is thinking. Yes, this is the person you see. But this is NOT who God sees.
You think you are this scattered, faulted, struggling person … and then there is the person God knows you are. The person God knows you are is who he sees. This is the person he created you to be. The woman who has reached her full potential in all she can become through Christ Jesus. And this is who God sees when he looks at you. He’s not limited by time or space. You may not be her yet, you may still be licking yesterdays Cheetos stains from your fingers, but you are becoming her. You are evolving into exactly who God created you to be. Yes, he sees where you are, but more importantly he sees where you’re going. He knows your destiny. He is fully aware of your purpose. And this is what he sees when he looks at you.
It’s the drastic difference between seeing yourself in black and white and seeing yourself in full color. You simply don’t see what God sees. But when you do … when you finally begin to see yourself as the magnificent creation in process which God has designed, you’ll be left saying “I’ve been missing so much.”
God sees you now as you will be in the future. He knows exactly what he is doing. And guess what, he will stop at nothing to bring you to this place of wholeness and complete beauty. That’s why the process may get a little hairy. He’s willing to go through those dark times. He’s willing to lead you through the valleys and head towards the hard climb because he’s seen the mountaintop … and he knows it’s worth it! He knows you’re worth it.
So today, may you see a little more of what God sees. May you get a glimpse of all you have been missing. May your world be a little more colored than it was before. May you stand in awe of the beauty of your journey and fully trust you’ll get there, and it will be worth it. May you be filled with confidence knowing your God has seen the end of your story from the very beginning and today you’re one step closer to being exactly who he created you to be. May you trust the process. And may the gray areas in your life be a little more colorful.
