"Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure." Psalm 147:5
Recently I visited a Portland landmark: the Pittock Mansion. It is a sprawling estate in the west hills of Portland overlooking downtown. There is a vast home, servants quarters, coach house and outbuildings. The grounds are meticulously landscaped and the home has been refurbished with period furnishings. To say that it is a marvel is an understatement.
This gorgeous residence was built shortly after the turn of the twentieth century and was outfitted with the most modern conveniences and fashions of the time. Walking through the estate, it was easy to be impressed with its wealth and opulence. Marble floors and gleaming wooden banisters would impress the most staunch of critics. Visitors are practically transported to another time and place upon entry. It is a veritable time capsule of nostalgia.
A majority of the mansion’s windows face a view that is, in a word, breathtaking. Pittock Mansion overlooks a panorama of the modern metropolis of downtown Portland, it’s suburbs, rolling foothills and the majestic Mt. Hood. To imagine waking up day-to-day, pulling back the drapes and finding this magnificent view is stuff of dreams.
Now, since the property is owned by the park’s department and considered a historic landmark, there are picnic tables dotting the property’s edge and it’s sweeping vista. On the day of my visit, there were few empty seats and back-row seating to the view was all I was able to access. After a few moments of taking it in, I held my phone above the other visitor’s heads and snapped a picture.
Later in the day, I was sharing the photo with a friend and I was disappointed with my result. The photo I had taken of one of the most breathtaking views I had seen of our city, was unimpressive, interesting at best. It in no way captured the magnitude and grandeur of the landscape I had witnessed. Honestly, it was an almost embarrassing representation.
The expression “a picture just doesn’t do it justice” echoed in my mind.
This made me think of a friend of mine that I follow on social media. He is a crane operator. (And by crane, I mean those big ones that they use to build skyscrapers.) Everyday, he ascends hundreds of feet to sit in the cab and operate his industrial crane. He often will snap pictures and post them to social media. Many photos he posts are of sunrises, sunsets and sweeping landscapes. These photos were always impressive but, it wasn’t until my experience at the Pittock Mansion, that I realized his pictures must be similar to my picture of the Portland skyline from the Pittock property. I can only imagine the beauty of the views he must experience. The photos he posts on his Instagram must dull in comparison.
How often in life are we missing out on the big picture? We only see things through one lens; colors muted, images distorted. A simple photo cannot capture the width and breadth of a sunrise or a skyline.
And to the same point, doesn’t this also translate to our life experiences? When we are going through a season in our lives, be it good or bad, it is impossible to accurately express to others our experiences. Try as we might, they can only get an idea of what we’re going through. They can be empathetic. They can ask questions and seek to understand, but truly, they are getting the muted, distorted image. Only we can see it in the Technicolor of realism that is our life.
Fortunately, though, there is one who can see the same vista that we see. And, he sees it in an even more dynamic way that we do. Our Creator sees the landscape of our lives in living color. He can see, with a divine clarity, what we see and experience. He can see our emotions and reactions, insecurities and struggles. Since he created us, created our world, he knows the true brilliance of our experiences. And his filters give more than clarity and contrast. He filters our experiences through a filter of love and grace and mercy and forgiveness. To him, to our creator, a picture doesn’t do it justice because he actually sees the big picture. He knows our hurts and our hang-ups. There is nothing lost to the aperture of his love.
When we find ourselves overwhelmed by the tasks on the horizon or the mountains we need to climb, we can share that picture with our God. We can trust he will understand and guide us with a clear picture of what we are dealing with. Really he’s the only one who can.
I am overwhelmed to think of the big-big picture… the one that God sees... but I am grateful that the big picture he sees pleases him. It is a big picture that you and I are a part of. And in seeing it, he sees us. He sees me. It is a picture of his creation that brings him glory.
After visiting Pittock Mansion and overlooking our city, I was impressed with the corner of the big picture that I was privileged to see; Privileged to take a step back and get a new perspective and a fresh take. People struggle and work and suffer and push. They make a mess. But they also persevere and flourish and create and love. They make a community. For all the up-close ugly in this world, I’m thankful that I can go up in the hills and look down on life, blurring the sharp edges of realism, and simply take in the hazy beauty of it all.
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