Place a blank piece of paper and a crayon in front of any child and ask them to draw a tree.
Wait … wait … watch closely … They are picking up the crayon and starting to draw. It starts with a very, very long tree trunk. Now they are picking up the other color … usually, it will be green. With deep concentration, they will draw the top of the tree, a small puffy circle, somewhat resembling a cloud. As I said, it’s small. Quite small compared to the tree trunk. They will then lay the crayon back down … and smile.
On a beautiful summer day, I was standing under a tree, looking up at the overarching branches. It was then that I realized why children’s drawings of trees all look pretty much the same. When a towering tree is seen from the eyes of a little one standing at the base, the trunk appears to be endless as it stands tall and stately. The leaves at the top are far away and appear to be small and insignificant, with very little visible detail.
Oh, little child … we are so like you.
Where we stand right now … in the middle of unknowns or unimaginables or stuff that just doesn’t make sense or stress that feels heavier than we can handle … the path appears to go on forever. We see and feel pain that is beyond description, which leaves us filled with questions and no answers. Yes … we may faintly see the blurred outline of the leaves off in the distance but all that really comes into focus is the roughness of the trunk.
We need to step into the sanctuary of God.
We need a God-perspective.
Oh … this isn’t my idea. Many years ago, a man named Asaph was wrestling with this same stuff. Directed by God, he wrote Psalm 73, expressing his struggles with the whys, the are-you-kidding-me’s, the how longs and the I-won’t-say-what-I’m-thinking thoughts. By verse 17, he dips the quill in the ink and writes, “…till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.” Whew. Oh, it doesn’t say that he had ALL the answers. But he received some clarity … some understanding … perspective … in the sanctuary of God.
God calls you and I to do the same. He invites us to spend time in His Presence. But first, we need to quiet our hearts and be still. Completely still. “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10 Then He calls us to come close to Him. “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” James 4:8 And then He wants us to really long for what HE wants more than anything else. “…seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33
It’s time to step away from the trunk … it’s blocking your vision … and step into the sanctuary of God. Settle in and stay awhile. That’s where God wants you to be today. Be still … come close … seek first His Kingdom.
The drawing of the leaves will come more into focus.
“Dear Jesus … I’m coming into Your Presence at Your invitation. All I’ve been seeing is the roughness of the bark on the tree … and I’ve lost sight of what You’re doing in my life. Calm my anxious heart that I may be still. Draw me close … that I may hear Your softest whisper and feel the comfort of Your arms. Cleanse my heart and mind of distractions that I may seek first Your Kingdom. Fill me with Your peace, knowing that You’re at work in the leaves of my life. I trust You. In Your Beautiful Name … Amen.”