Used To The View

I spent this past weekend at the beach, and it was lovely.  Sea oats swayed in the breeze.  Palm fronds rustled in the wind.  Grey-skinned dolphins nosed their way down shore while nervous crabs scampered into convenient holes.  All the while, aqua waves ceaselessly coiled onto the white, shelled sand.  In a word, spectacular.

As we stood gawking on the balcony, someone beside me wondered aloud if perhaps the locals grew so used to the view that they failed to always appreciate its beauty, and I answered, “Yes.”  I’m quite sure I was right because of much experience—not with scenes from Gulf front condos, but with stunning sunsets, good times with friends, my husband’s embrace, the laughter of my children, and God’s grace.  All are splendid treasures which should be admired and appreciated with awe, but since these things are commonplace in my life, I often get used to the view and take them for granted.

I think we all do—at different times, in different ways, with different things, and sometimes it takes a change in scenery or circumstance to jolt us into re-awareness of the magnificence around us.  A bomb explodes in Boston, and we hold our families tighter.  A trusted leader falls, and we’re grateful for forgiveness.  Three rainy days in a row make us long for the sun.  And we can hardly believe how easily we take these good gifts for granted.

The Israelites are the classic example.  For forty years they were led around the wilderness by a holy God shrouded in a cloud.  During daytime, the pillar of His presence was white.  At nightfall, it turned bright (with fire, no less).  Surely they could never grow accustomed to something so obvious, so out of place, so extraordinary, but they did. Though God was their night light, their day guide, provided manna every morning, and kept their clothes and shoes from wearing out, the Israelites repeatedly disobeyed, hesitated to trust, and couldn’t keep their hands and hearts away from heathen idols.   Why? Because they grew used to the view of grace.

You probably aren’t at the beach today so maybe the scenery isn’t something to get excited about, but take time to notice the place you are, the people you love, the blessings you’ve received, and the life you’ve been given.  Go ahead and gawk because the scene is spectacular.

When it comes to grace, we should never get used to the view.