As a father, I’m often talking with my son and instructing him on this or that. He’ll then sometimes ask “why?”, or he’ll dismiss what I am saying. I will then respond with, “well, you don’t see the big picture like I do…”, and then we’ll go on.
As parents, and just as our own parents did, we want to provide for our children the best we can, the best we know how. Even if that means letting them go away on their own and letting them fail. Other times, its instructing them as to the reasons why, reasons for something that they may not comprehend. Because we see the big picture.
I think all of us, when it comes to our own circumstances and to the events in the world, we ask “Why?” a lot. We are those that ask God, “Well, why can’t I do this? You gave me these gifts and these pleasures?” Or when we experience something that is not fair, or that hurts us or those around us, we ask God “Why? Why did you let this happen?” Because we can’t often comprehend these circumstances, and also, we don’t see the big picture.
Even the Israelites, when out in the desert, freed from slavery, continued to ask God why, why did He lead them from slavery to perish out in the desert? They didn’t see the big picture.
So many times, we don’t see the big picture in our lives, just as my own son doesn’t. God knows who we are better than we know ourselves. He doesn’t want to see bad things happen to us, and He doesn’t want us to make bad decisions, but He gave us that freedom. And He waits patiently, until we come back to Him.
He also doesn’t want us to feel neglected or taken for granted or forgotten as we often do, but again, He is there waiting, for us to seek Him out and ask “Why?”, so He can instruct us on how to love, and remove the hardness from our hearts.
Yet through it all, He provides that manna we need, until we do finally arrive back to Him, the Promised Land. He provides, He is there, waiting, because even though He gives us the free will to do what we like and feel how we want to feel, His Spirit, His Love, and His Grace constantly engulfs us, and prompts us to do the right thing. It prompts us to seek Him out, even though we don’t realize it, just as the son who left was prompted to go back home, and the son who stayed was prompted to question his father.
God truly sees the big picture, and while He cannot make our choices for us, He does bring good in any situation and is there waiting, prompting, loving. He provides the tools and the mercy and the grace for us to come back to Him, no matter our circumstances, no matter what we have done.
This is comforting. Not comforting in the sense of presumption, that we can do whatever we want and God will be there to forgive us. That is a whole other sin. But comforting in the sense in knowing that God is there, waiting for us, that He has the things we need in our life, even if we cannot see it or understand it. His Love and His Grace and His Mercy is comforting, and if you seek it proactively, it brings peace and simplicity.
God, our Father, sees the big picture, more than we can comprehend. And He is waiting for us to turn back to Him, to provide for us, and welcome us home.
