the long view

Earlier this week I took a ride through the country to explore some of the pretty locations on the Rappahannock River where it meets the Chesapeake Bay.  My truck followed country roads that sliced through large open fields with thick forests in the background.  I noticed that the edges of the fields that were closest to my truck raced by at the same speed I was traveling, while the trees behind the fields appeared to be passing much slower.  Of course the sense of speed was greatest next to the truck because that's where the vehicle and the road and the field were close together.  While the closer view provided a more accurate sense of speed, the longer view to the treeline and across the fields was more pleasant, as it seemed to linger longer.  I thought about the "short view" and the "long view" of life.  The short view might be life as it rushes past close to our personal experience.  The problems of work, the friction of relationship issues with family, friends and coworkers, worries about health and everything else that touches us in a close, or direct, way might be something like the edge of the field next to the truck.  It races by quickly and we don't have time to appreciate or focus on the view so close.  We may need to look to the longer view, back at the edge of the treeline, to see the beauty of the land we are traveling across.  Of course we need to keep our eyes on the road...but the trip is more satisfying as we also take in the background and the lay of the land.  It's what makes the trip more satisfying than just "getting there".

Proverbs 25: ³ Like the horizons for breadth and the ocean for depth,the understanding of a good leader is broad and deep.

blessings,

Rob Smith