“Hey, is that the ocean? Edinburgh’s on the coast?”
My best friend and I were enjoying our last day in Scotland at the formidable Edinburgh Castle. The first day, we hiked to the top of Arthur’s Seat and a panoramic view of the surrounding ancient city. We spent our second day on a Wee Red Bus, touring the idyllic Scottish countryside as far as Loch Ness. Now on our third day, as I looked over a stone wall near the food court, I saw something neither of us had noticed in the past 48 hours–water. While we arrived in Edinburgh and made our way around the city with little trouble, we clearly had no idea where we actually were.
Planning Every Detail
This particular trip was well outside my usual comfort zone. I like to have things planned out far in advance–itineraries, budgets, activities. While studying abroad at Oxford University in England, my friend and I realized one day that spring break was upon us and we had no plans. Not wanting to miss an opportunity, we skipped our last lecture to plan a spur-of-the-moment trip to Scotland. Our bus departed that evening, arriving in Edinburgh the next morning. We showed up at the bus station with our backpacks and a Lonely Planet guide to Great Britain.
Of course, I studied the Scotland section of that guide all afternoon and as much of the bus ride as I could stay awake for. I’m certain there was a map in there that showed exactly where our destination was. But I wasn’t paying attention to that. I wanted to know what there was to do so we wouldn’t miss anything important. “We have to spend a day at the castle. Oh, and there’s a hike we can do to one of the supposed locations of Camelot. Holyrood Palace looks cool, too. We might be able to take a day trip on a tour bus and see Nessie! Doune Castle isn’t far–maybe we can go there and act out scenes from Monty Python and the Holy Grail!”
A Broader Perspective
We hear a lot about getting lost in the details, or missing the forest for the trees. This was definitely one of those times. Would my trip have been substantially altered by understanding my surrounding geography? Probably not. That trip was one of the most memorable of my life, and I wouldn’t trade a moment of it. But it would have changed my intrinsic sense of place, my knowledge of where I stood in the world. Standing on that ancient cobblestone, I felt my perspective, a sliver of my worldview, shift.
I wonder if that’s a taste of how Elisha’s servant felt when his eyes were opened to see the surrounding hills filled with the LORD’s army. 2 Kings 6:8-23 tells the story of the king of Aram sending his troops to capture Elisha, who was keeping the king of Israel informed of his military plans. Elisha’s servant awoke in despair to Aramean troops all around them, crying out, “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” (v. 15, NLT). Elisha saw them, too, but he wasn’t stuck in those details. He knew where he was and what was really going on. Having a broader perspective than his servant, Elisha prayed for God to open his servant’s eyes so he, too, could understand where he was and what was really going on. The LORD’s army was always there, just like the Scottish coast. What changed was the servant’s perspective, his expanded worldview.
Understanding and Trust
We are not always going to know exactly where we are or precisely what is going on. But the longer we live this adventure called “life,” the more puzzle pieces find their place, and the better understanding we have of what the whole picture looks like. So let each piece stir up deep gratitude for the gift that it is, for every time our mind opens to a broader perspective, we become more mature and have a better understanding of the world surrounding us. And when we look at all the empty spaces, wondering which pieces will fit there and what the final picture will be, we must trust that there is so much more going on than our eyes can see. This, too, is part of the adventure.
Good job, Alyssa!