I love to wander through the Blue Ridge Mountains on sunny days, so clear that it seems you can see landscapes several states away. But I also love it when fog descends and surrounds me in a cocoon of peace and quiet.
One day while I was visiting a familiar mountaintop, the fog blew in. I was disappointed because I’d gone there to take some photographs and needed a clear shot of the mountains in the distance. Instead I was stuck in the middle of a damp, gray cloud. I slung my camera over my shoulder and made my way back to the car to wait, hoping the fog would lift.
As I sat there, still, I began to see things that I’d never noticed before. I spied an old tree, with gnarled limbs and interesting shapes. I observed the cliffs behind me and the beautiful designs made with rocks and brush.
All this new-to-me scenery drew me back out of the car, and soon I was happily exploring a part of this vista I’d never seen before.
The fog never did lift, but I saw things I’d never seen before. As I drove home, with a camera full of images and a heart full of love for our magnificent Creator, I pondered what had happened.
How like God to use a foggy day to increase my visibility.
He’s done that before in my life—spiritually. He’s used those times where everything around me seems like gray, swirling chaos, to show me things I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. I experienced that especially when our son was in the military. Often the weight of what he was facing covered me with despair. It was in those times that God revealed Himself the most intimately.
So if you’re engulfed by any kind of fog, take a deep breath. Stop struggling to see too far ahead and look close by. That’s where you’ll find God waiting to open up your eyes in ways never imagined.
