When I look through the lens of my camera, I hope to catch a glimpse of something that allows me to see what I often miss when looking with my eyes alone. The angle of the shot, the distance from the object, the lighting, and the steadiness of my hand all impact the view I capture.

Over time, I am persuaded that the Lord often reveals something I simply did not notice before the camera lens was involved or at least I did not see it in the same way or as clearly prior to the photo. Perhaps it involves focusing my eye and lens in such a way that I see differently or more, but I am also aware the lens helps me to not take something for granted because I am truly seeking to see!

It becomes easier to miss much in our view as we move into adulthood. We pass by extraordinary things barely noticing them at all. As children, we delight in the smallest of details of a leaf, the shape or color of a stone, the sound of a bird in the tree outside our window, the color of the sky, the butterfly landing on a flower, and the buzzing wings of a bee. Was it because we were shorter, closer to the ground to catch sight of them or was it that we were more wonder-filled by what we did see?

Our day-to day duties and responsibilities seem to keep our eyes focused in other directions if they are focused at all. We are reminded of that when a child bursts into our task-focused day squealing with delight over a bug he or she has discovered or hands us a bouquet of the dandelions that we have been trying to eliminate as weeds from the lawn.

I suppose if we kept focusing on these sorts of things, we might slip behind in our grown-up chores, but perhaps we would be stronger in our child-like faith and more filled with wonder. We might see something we do not want to miss.

In Narnia, C.S. Lewis introduces us to four children who lead us into a strange land where animals talk, trees dance, and Aslan shows them and us more of Christ than we might otherwise see. Of the children, Lucy, the youngest, is the one who most often catches a glimpse of what the others miss. She is the one who sees Aslan and once she does, she keeps an eye out for him everywhere she goes. He captures her heart and she believes without question what he offers.

Those are the eyes I want to have! That is the heart I desire! I don’t want to miss the extraordinary things in my day. Those are the things that allow my heart to stay connected to wonder and keep my focus on the One who has pursued my heart long before I knew Him.

On a recent trip to Yellowstone National Park, I captured a series of shots of Old Faithful as the geyser put on its display that thousands wait to see erupt. I had seen Old Faithful other times and felt good about what the camera had captured, but what brought a smile to my face and a reminder to my heart was when a child looked at one of the shots I had taken and announced, “It looks like an angel!”