See What I Can See

Michael W. Smith has a new album called Wonder, and on it is a song called Rise, and one of the lyrics says, "Come see what I can see." This entire album has lifted my spirits and encouraged my soul in the sweetest and gentlest of ways, but this song in particular moves me every time I hear it.

It's about taking risks, and listening to the still, small voice of God, and knowing who we are enough to move forward in this life. I need to remember that I'm not alone, and that relying on God is not a sign of weakness, but instead a sign of strength. Knowing our own human limits and frailties is a helpful way of existing in this world. I'm less afraid when I recognize that I'm not the be-all and the end-all. Life is bigger than I am, and I'm grateful for that fact.

I am limited in what I can see and understand. Every day I'm open to learning new things, about myself and about the way the world functions, but there is still so much more to know. I see and experience the world according to who I am (our local library just posted this incredible quote by Anais Nin on Facebook, "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are") not according to how they really are.

We are all defined and bound by our past, our personalities, our individual fears and our varying levels of dysfunction. I can't fix what I don't understand is broken, and I'm learning that my own self-awareness is critical to my development as a person. I'm deeply encouraged by forward movement, in my own life and in the lives of others. Talk is cheap and meaningless, but action creates change. I'd rather not hear about all that you are going to do, but I'd love to watch you do it, and be inspired by that forward motion.

I used to hide behind my words, spinning tall tales in order to impress people. I see now that it doesn't work. You can only blow smoke for so long before you are busted on it. I've backpedaled on the talking and that gives me more energy and motivation for the doing. The results are in the action, not the intention.

Dreams are a powerful motivator for our eventual action, but I'm learning to keep my dreams a little closer to my chest. Results are hard to argue with, and I want to produce more results instead of just expressing my desire for certain things to happen. It has taken me a long time to reach this realization, and the view from this vantage point takes my breath away.

I want to continue to see things differently. To recognize that I perceive the world according to my own biases and beliefs, and not as gospel truth. Everyone else is doing exactly the same thing. We all see what we want to see, but understanding that my way is not right where other people are wrong is extremely beneficial in the day-to-day experience of co-existing with others in this life. Many of our disagreements can fall by the wayside when this truth is embraced and accepted.

We all want to be right, but it's so hard to be right when we don't have all of the facts. We see through a small pane of glass that is dirty and cracked, and we never have the complete picture. Our section is always clear to us, but other people see things differently, and that is just fine. It doesn't take away from me to have someone else experience ideas and views in a radically different way. We all possess varying perspectives, but I want to rise above all of it, and see with new eyes what that still, small voice is trying to show me.