My son, JJ, is what you could very rightly call a car guy. He has been obsessed with vehicles for his whole life. As soon as he was able to walk, he was commandeering my daughter’s pink Barbie Jeep to race around our front yard. He began carefully considering the vehicle he wanted to get upon receiving his license long before he was able to drive one. He has participated in the rebuilding or replacement of just about every mechanical component of his 1988 Foxbody Mustang. Now, he has turned his attention to potential work trucks for when he starts professionally welding. But, nowhere is JJ’s love for cars more apparent than when we are on a road trip. The boy has eagle eyes when it comes to observing exotic, interesting, and expensive automobiles.
I am often so focused on the insanity that surrounds us that I overlook the amazing things that are there in the mix.
We will be rolling down the highway at high speeds, though reasonably close to the posted limit, with the aforementioned cars coming at us at equal or greater speeds, and somehow, he will spot them and attempt to point them out to the rest of us in the vehicle. In an instant, he sees what most would miss if the other vehicle were sitting still right in front of their faces. He is often able to report the make, model, year, color, and various upgrades from the original design. He will then ask me if I saw it and will be demonstrably upset with me when I inevitably report to him that I did not.
I cannot and/or do not see what he sees. It’s not that I am not looking. As the operator of our motor vehicle, my eyes are most definitely wide open. I am closely monitoring the gauges for our car; making sure that we have enough fuel, that we are traveling at an acceptable speed, and that we are on the right road and heading in the right direction. I am carefully observing the many cars and trucks coming towards and moving along with us, attempting to maintain a safe distance between us, and to avoid getting into an accident. I am often so focused on the insanity that surrounds us that I overlook the amazing things that are there in the mix. I assistance to see what I could so easily overlook.
I think this translates to how we sometimes experience life in general. Many of us have a finely tuned sensitivity to struggles and potential problems. I often wonder if the 24-hour news cycle hasn’t helped develop and enhance this tendency. We see enemies and issues everywhere and we worry that it is only a matter of time before the inevitable disaster strikes. So, we watch and we wait. If the Bible has taught me anything, however, it is that even in the most dire of circumstances, God is present and working; He can be trusted to provide what we need in due time. And, if we open our eyes or ask Him for assistance, He will reveal Himself to us.
God is always working for our good and for His glory, but it often helps to have an extra set of eyes to help us see what we’d miss on our own.
2 Kings 6:8-23 provides a great biblical example. In these verses, Elisha and his servant find themselves surrounded by all sorts of traffic with serious road rage. Elisha’s servant surveys the landscape and only observes problems. Elisha, on the other hand, sees something different. In verses 16-17, it reads, “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”
In order to see the cool cars in the chaos on the highway, I need JJ to point out what I need to see. In the same way, sometimes we need an Elisha, someone who will pray for God to open our eyes; someone who will point out the powerful presence of God in the middle of our struggles. God is always working for our good and for His glory, but it often helps to have an extra set of eyes to help us see what we’d miss on our own.
