The Forest for the Trees

The Forest for the Trees

They have mouths, but cannot speak;

eyes, but they cannot see.

Psalm 115:6

On one of my visits to the bird sanctuary at the Richmond Zoo, I arrived with single-minded purpose and tunnel vision, determined to capture good photos of the golden pheasant in residence there.  That quickly became a real game of patience, for those birds skitter everywhere at a rapid pace.  When the pheasant started rooting for bugs close by, I trained my camera on him, focusing and refocusing as I tried to get a decent shot.  After a few minutes with the camera tight against my face, I raised my head slightly to see where exactly the pheasant was located.

What met my glance was a magnificent bird of a different feather perched on the bench directly across from mine, staring straight at me.  What a picture!  If I had turned my camera slightly up and two inches to the right during the time I was aiming at the pheasant, I would have seen this bird filling my entire viewfinder.  Of course, he caught that slight motion of my head and turned to flight, allowing me to capture only this photo of his head.  I have no idea what kind of bird he was, but sitting a mere two and a half feet from me, he was absolutely amazing.

More often that I would like to admit, I have my eyes trained on some far-distant goal, totally ignoring those opportunities that God has placed right in front of me.  As my father would say, “You can’t see the forest for the trees!”  Thankfully, some opportunities stick around until we finally see them.  Others, like my bird friend, are gone in the blink of an eye.

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Morning has broken, like the first morning.

Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird.

Praise for the singing!  Praise for the morning!

Praise for them, springing fresh from the Word.

The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 145