What are you looking at?

Newborn babies can only see 8 to 15 inches. Could you imagine only being able to see that far? Imagine how big your TV would have to be to make out anything from your favorite TV shows? HELLO Home theater system...haha.

"No dad, Mom is NOT going to let you buy a BIGGER TV"

This may seem like a random thing that newborn eyesight is SO limited BUT the reality is they only focus on what they need to. At this stage, that is usually just their overtired parents. (It might actually be best that they can't notice the extra wrinkles or gray hair I'm getting anyways.)

While their vision will continue to grow and they'll eventually be able to see everything this world has to throw at them, it got me thinking...wouldn't sometimes it be a blessing for US if we could only see what's right in front of us?

As a kid, I always was SO excited about what was next. Not the thing right in front of me, but the event that was happening in a month. I would set up countdowns to things and constantly know "how many days" it was until something happened. The result of this was generally a HUGE internal build up of excitement and then a disappointment when the event didn't live up to hype I had created for it.

The other result of this was I was missing what was happening right in front of me. I was missing out on all the daily blessings that God had given. It's not all about BIG events, birthdays, and celebrations- sometimes God moments happen on a Tuesday evening, or a Thursday lunch. We are blessed with an everyday God- He doesn't just appear on special occasions.

As I've gotten older, I've started to realize and appreciate the everyday blessings right in front of me. Our 3 year old Micah does a great job of reminding me if I forget. He does this SUPER funny thing sometimes when he says, "LOOK at me." He does this while having this silly/creepy smile on his face. If you don't look at him, he will put his hands on your cheeks and MAKE you focus on him. He doesn't want me to miss the blessing he is. 

One Biblical story that is a great example of focus is Moses. Moses is in the desert, minding his own business and watching after his flock of animals. We aren't sure his state of mind, but we know he's intently watching the animals. Then all of a sudden a bush is on fire and NOT burning up and God is talking to Moses. (Full Description Here) In the middle of his regular, everyday life- God spoke to Moses. As amazing as the bush was to Moses, he didn't miss the fact that God was speaking to him.

Every once in awhile, we need to take a deep breath and just focus on the item right in front of us. Sometimes that is a loved one needing our attention, sometimes it's a homework assignment we keep procrastinating on, and sometimes it's God  trying to tell us something important.

So while our eye sight might be better than a newborn, I would argue that sometimes their vision might be better. They focus on their 8-15 inches instead of the rest of the swirling world which they have very little control over.