Traveling Journal: Costa Rica (Part 2)
On day two we went to Manuel Antonio National Park. We took a guided tour through the park and it was incredible. Right when we got out of the Uber a guide came up and said, “Look in the tree! It’s a sloth.” I looked and couldn’t see anything. Luckily he had a really cool magnifying scope and we got to take turns to look at it and take pictures.
This same scene was repeated throughout the whole tour. We would be walking along and all of a sudden our guide would say, “Look there! It’s a (fill in the blank with the animal).” It almost got to be a running joke with me and Kason because I couldn’t see anything. There was one time a was standing right next to a frog that was sitting on a big leaf and I still couldn’t see it. Kason said, “Look Dad, it’s right there!” And I still couldn’t see it. It was pretty comical.
Another time I was standing on the trail waiting for the group to finish looking at some poisonous animal I can’t pronounce the name of when the guide said, “Sir, look behind you.” I turned around and only saw a dark looking pool of water. Finally Kason had to come over and say, “Look Dad, an alligator.” There it was, plain as day, staring at me from the water. To use a Peggy-ism (my mom), “If it was a snake it’d bit ya.”
I was so impressed at the skill of our guide to see the unseen. He had this uncanny ability to see what was hidden and to spot those things that are trying to hide.
Here are a few observations I took from that experience…
We see what we are trained to see. The guide we had went to school to be a wildlife guide. He has spent his life perfecting his vision to see the animals that you and I would normally miss. That begs the question, “What have you and I been trained to see?” Have I been training myself, through the Word of God and prayer, to see God’s activity in the world?
For example, let me use an example that is currently in the news. As you may or may not know, President Trump has sent National Guard troops to Los Angeles to try and squelch the riots over the United States’ immigration and enforcement policies.
Now, the question becomes, “What do you see when you look at that situation?” Do you see a fight against political ideologies? Do you see it as a stand off between the Left and the Right? Do you see it as lawlessness or a stand for social justice?
What has contributed to the training of your eyes in that situation? Where is God in that situation? What is God up to? How should we view the social unrest of the LA riots?
For many of us, regardless of our political leaning, we see a mess, a jungle if you will, similar to the one I saw in Costa Rica. But in that mess, what are we missing or not seeing? O Lord give us eyes to see.
We don’t see what we are not looking for. I went into that jungle having no idea what I was looking for. I didn’t even know that a “3-eyed Amazonian frog of the Grand Sierra” even existed (it doesn’t by the way, I just made that up), but one of the reasons I didn’t see anything is because I didn’t know what I was looking for.
Many of us don’t see God’s activity in the world because we are not looking for it. We only know how to see things from a materialistic standpoint. We only see what we are told to see. We only look where we are told to look. We only see what we see because we have never seen anything else.
How did Abraham hear God’s voice? Because somewhere along the way he was listening for it. How did Moses see the burning bush? Because somehow, even deep in his unconscious, he was looking for it?
Jesus had this beautiful ability to see beyond the material and see the spiritual. When he saw the man with leprosy he didn’t see a social outcast, but a person made in the image of God who needed a hug. When he saw Matthew the tax collector, he didn’t see a political traitor or someone who spit on their national pride, but someone with the heart and skills to turn the world upside down as a preacher, teacher, and author. When he saw Simon, he didn’t see a revolutionary terrorist hell-bent on war, but someone who could walk in his footsteps and learn to love, even his enemies.
When we look at people, what do we see? I guess it depends on what we are looking for. O Lord give me eyes to see.
Did you know that I carry two pairs of glasses with me everywhere I go? I have my glasses for long distance and night driving, and also my reading glasses. One helps me see far away while the other one helps me see close up.
Many times we don’t see the big picture or what is right in front of our face because we don’t see through eyes of faith.
Do you remember reading about the Armor of God in Ephesians 6? Well, I think there is a verse about glasses in there. I know, you may not have seen it. We know about the sword of the Spirit, the breastplate of righteousness, and the belt of truth, but if you keep reading, you see in verse 18 what I am talking about…
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
The way to see through eyes of faith…the way to put on our glasses…is only done through prayer. Prayer focuses our eyes on the presence of God in every situation. Prayer is the spectacles of the spiritual, the googles of glory, the monocle of majesty, the bifocals of the beautiful…ok, you get it.
O Lord give me eyes to see.
Be blessed,
Paul