THROUGH NEW EYES
By Caryn Burdine
My
heart cringed in fierce opposition, as my stomach turned upside down. Fear and
worry took control of my thoughts. My
husband had just casually informed me of our weekend plans – canoeing.
Under
normal circumstances, the adventure would have sounded challenging; however, we
had just returned from a two-week vacation in the mountains.
I’d had enough tubes, rafts and rivers for a while, and I was tired of “going.”
In addition, we live in Florida. Rivers
in Florida are homes to alligators and snakes.
My mind raced with nightmarish scenes of ferocious reptiles,
thunderstorms, and bugs…lots of bugs.
There
were all kinds of reasons why canoeing would not be a good thing to do that
weekend. I was already feeling
disconnected from church because of vacation, and now I would be missing again.
Not to mention the things that needed our attention at home because of
our absence.
I
had two days to pray for interference of these plans.
As I stepped back to gain control of my wayward thoughts, Philippians 4:8
ran through my mind. “Whatever is
true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is
lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -
think about such things” (NIV). My negative focus was illuminated.
New
eyes opened when I began to seek a positive approach to our journey.
It felt good to see the initiative in my husband, wanting to do something
fun with his family. I realized
that our six year old had never been canoeing, and it would be a great
experience for him. The church
would be there next week, and the chores would remain until our return. Besides, I have never seen a real alligator in its native
habitat before. As much as I hated
to admit it, the trip was beginning to sound intriguing.
My
prayer changed from wanting interference, to wanting an experience.
I asked God to show me a piece of himself that day – my focus was on
Him.
That
Sunday, as we set out for the swamp, I was armed with a new perspective.
God was very much a part of our day.
As
we placed our canoes in the water, I noticed a beautiful, purple bird.
It was very thin, and it perched low to the water on the hanging branch
of a cypress tree. It watched us as we swayed back and forth in our canoe,
trying to get in and embark on our journey.
As if it had been waiting for us, that purple bird flew just ahead of us,
guiding our journey.
At
various places along the way, we saw alligators and turtles drying themselves in
the sun on fallen logs. When we would row closer for a picture, they would slip
very delicately into the murky water and hide.
As
I watched the woods for unknown creatures, I took notice of how old this swamp
was. Trees were lying everywhere.
Whether fallen because of age, or from the effects of a turbulent Florida
storm, they littered the river, making it an obstacle course for our canoe.
I
enjoyed watching the agility of our 14-year-old son as he maneuvered a kayak for
the first time. And I could feel
myself getting excited along with our young “spotter” as he screamed in awe,
“There’s an alligator! Right there!” He hurriedly fumbled for his camera,
rocking our canoe. My hands
clenched the sides of the unsteady boat as my thoughts raced silently toward an
SOS prayer.
God
was there, coaxing me along as my husband became aggravated at my lack of rowing
skills. By the end of the day,
I’d applied his suggestions and we’d learned to work as a team.
In
spite of my earlier hesitations, the trip was a much-needed serenity after a
week of the daily grind. Apart from
the occasional splash when something unknown entered the water, the swamp was a
quiet and comfortable place. The
sun shone brightly, and the day was very hot.
The trees sheltered us from the heat’s intensity, and the
“accidental” splatter of an oar was refreshing.
God
used this adventure to show me that what my day holds really doesn’t matter.
How I choose to view things will determine who I am.
Without the proper perspective, I am controlled by a negative attitude.
Instead of carrying around the results of guilt and fear from looking at
the wrong things, I’d much rather be full of joy and peace – looking through
new eyes, and discovering life as only God can place it before me.
Maybe
next time, we’ll go fishing!
©
2001 Caryn Burdine
Email: VinJ98@aol.com