The morning is new, the breeze is cool, and the sun is climbing into the sky when our ship reaches the Maui shore. The blue ocean waves shimmer in the light and the rocking of the tender boat soothes our welcome to the quaint city of Lahaina.
And as we get off the boat and head into the city square (the one with that huge Banyan tree) we can’t miss him crawling right there at our feet. A snail. And not just any snail, the hugest snail we’ve ever seen.
Oblivious to anything else, he slimes his way across the pebble path, heading to a shaded planter, full of moist and overgrown plants, awaiting his arrival.
He’s a determined little guy. He inches along slow and steady, moving forward at a dependable pace. We stop and bend and observe him for a good while. And the kids are ecstatic as I pull out my camera, lie on my belly, flat on the ground, and capture him in all his slimy glory.
He carries his shell, which I’m sure slows him down, but he can’t be swayed. He moves along, tentacles perched, eyes straight ahead and focused. He has to hurry, because the sun is chasing him, and he’s far too fragile to stay on this pebble walk in the hot sun. He’s headed for a darker and moister place–the only kind of place he can survive on a sunny Maui day.
As he inches along though, he misses so much. Not just because he can’t hang out during the day, but because by nature, his vision is unsophisticated. Not to mention he’s hugging the ground, and just sliding along … all of which are limiting his view.
His view only knows just the next thing, the ground and blurred shapes of what may be ahead. All he knows is what’s before him in the moment, without any awareness of the beauty of Maui and all it holds.
No concept of the mountains near Hana,
No idea of the grandeur of the humpback whales gliding in the ocean nearby,
No knowledge of the big Banyan tree, the quaint city, or Kaanapali beach only a few miles away.
All he sees is just the pebble walkway and the fuzzy, blurred planter ahead, with the shade and moisture to help him survive his day.
What we know depends on our view. And OUR view is all we know. [Tweet that]
Sometimes our view confuses us. We wonder why we face pain, or tragedy, or suffering in this life.
But because of our view, we may never understand…
We may never grasp why,
Never figure out the purpose,
Or understand the plan.
We just can’t know … because of our limited and simplistic and utterly dependent view.
But what we can do, is trust.
Trust that He has the Ultimate view.
That in His Divine Sovereignty, He is in total control.
That He sees what we can’t,
And He knows what is best.
Because God really is the giver of ALL things.
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:33-36 (ESV)
Not just some things, but ALL things. The things that feel like gifts and even those that don’t.
And His Word calls us to suffer well … to follow a Savior who knew suffering, yet trusted His Father anyway, a Savior who is worth following.
But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed … do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name … 1 Peter 4:13, 16 (NIV)
Our faith by necessity is trust. And when we walk by faith and not by sight, we trust God knows.
In our tragedy and suffering, we allow our character to be conformed to His, even when we don’t understand why. [Tweet that]
And as we inch along with our limited-to-the-ground-blurry view, the question is …
Will we surrender to Him?
Surrender to His Sovereign way,
Surrender to His ultimate will,
Surrender to His view,
No matter what He gives?
Because maybe, we’d be able to see even suffering as a gift, if only we had His view.
How has suffering increased your faith?
How have you become more like Him?
I’m joining Lisa-Jo, over at her site today, to take five minutes and just write without worrying if it’s just right or not. The challenge is to write for 5 20 minutes flat with no editing, tweaking or self critiquing, with the prompt she gives. And today, her prompt:
View…
We will also never see what the snail sees as magnificent either. For we are not the snail. And the snail is not us.
Amen, amen. Bless you dear.
When we were in the middle of hospitalizations for my daughter’s lung disease (btw, totally healed today!) suffering increased my faith. We had no choice, but to lean on faith.
Thanks for the good write, lady.
Such a neat post! Loved your reflections of the snail’s view. Your last line was so powerful and thought-provoking. Really enjoyed reading your words. Thank you for sharing.
PS. I almost wrote about when my husband and I traveled to Maui for our 1st wedding anniversary and were amazed by the view from the top of Haleakala. Another post for another time. 🙂
Ah…you are right, Jacqui, our view is all we have, all we know. If I could see things as he sees them, I am certain it would change my view. Thank you for this reminder.
Hmmm…I kind of love this. No, I really love it. 🙂 I would never have pictured life from a snail’s point of view, but how often I act like a snail…trying to escape from a current circumstance, only moving toward the next thing in life, and missing so much along the way. Such good reminders for me today. Thank you, friend…blessings and happy weekend to you! 🙂
A perspective we all need, thank you!!! I loved your *20* minute Friday. 🙂 (Ahhh… I love Maui too, haven’t been there in years!)
Amen! Beautifully put. (And love the Romans 11 verses – I used v33 in my own FMF post!) Thank you so much for sharing. (And love the picture of the snail!) 🙂 God bless.
Oh, how I love this. I’m tying it all up tight and storing the truth you shared. I need this. Thank you so much for sharing.
This piece is full of gems, Jacque! I am grateful that in my own life God has entrusted to me jewels I could only acquire along the road of suffering. I know you have your own treasure of that kind. Blessed and encouraged by your words today! Awesome snail pic, by the way. I can totally picture you, flat on your stomach, camera pointed at the snail :).
Indeed, we are not snails 🙂 So thankful you stopped by!
Thank you so much, Denise!
That’s so encouraging Amy…and you know, it is usually never the ones who have suffered who regret how they grew through it, only those speculating from the outside who haven’t walked the valley. Giving thanks for her healing!!
Thank you Jenn…we wish we could have seen more of Maui, but we did get to go whale watching that day, which holds some wonderful memories!
Love you Mary! xoxo
Thank you Mel, I’m right there with you. Aiming to trust His view!
Haha! Thank you…I always like to clarify. I’m a very slow writer, and so amazed by all the talented #fmfparty peeps! And yes, Maui was just so lovely!
Thank you…such a good verse! Blessings to you…
You’re so welcome, and thank you for taking the time to leave these encouraging words. I can’t tell you how sweet they were!
Hahaha! Yes, it was quite a sight, me on my belly in the dirt, trying to capture just the right picture. With no idea how I’d use the picture, but wanting to practice my manual-mode-camera-skills anyway. No better time than with a snail, which gives plenty of time to adjust all those DSLR settings!!! Have a wonderful weekend 🙂
I love your commentary on Romans! Those two words… “All things” are very prevalent throughout scripture. I love what they represent and how they speak hope to the soul.
Beautiful!
Me too, me too! Thank you 🙂
oh yes – almost 4 years after losing a late term pregnancy and my only daughter I still trust that HE is good! “But because of our view, we may never understand… “
Oh yes…He IS good. With so much love to you, Stef… xoxo
Jacqui, your adjustment of FMF rules made me laugh out loud! I’ve often wondered about our obsession with knowing why. I have it, to be sure. Maybe it’s just better to know “who” rather than “why.” Oh, to live into that truth!