Tree Blind

Tree Blind
Dr. Marshall M. Windsor

There is an old expression that says, “you can’t see the forest for the trees.” The implication is that you are so close to something that you cannot see the larger, whole picture of where you are and where you are going. All the trees, obligations, people, problems, and situations around you bring distractions that seemingly blind you. You forget how to get where you want to go! You lose your focus on what's before you - be it work goals, family agendas or even your life's purpose - and you find yourself putting out fires, so-to-speak, on a regular basis.

When I was a young teenager (who thought he knew everything) my dad took me for a walk in the woods one day. When we were deep in the forest he asked if I wanted to lead us back home. I said sure! After about an hour, he asked me if I knew where we were. I painfully said, “no.” He said that we were right back where we started!

When we are bombarded by the demands and distractions of the world it is easy to get disoriented spiritually. When we are working to help others connect to a God who cares so much about them that He sent His only son to die on a cross for them, the battles can be incessant. Sin can knock on the door of our hearts repeatedly.

That is why it’s crucial to routinely take some time for prayer and reflection. Turn off the cell phone and computer and just get away—it takes determination! Go for a drive, take a walk in the park, sit in the upper deck of the church balcony if needed, but get to a quiet place alone where you can hear the voice of God. We all need times of refreshing and refocusing as we try to live a Godly life and help others see how awesome a life with God can be for them.

As the writer of Hebrews encourages us: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2a)

How about you? Are you just busy being busy for God—ministering to tree after tree but losing sight of God’s direction for your own life? Take some time soon to be quiet in His presence and focus on Jesus Christ, so that in turn, you can reveal His presence to others through the closeness of your own relationship with God.