Through Heaven's Eyes

"If a man lose ev'rything he owns, has he truly lost his worth? Or is it the beginning of a new and brighter birth?"


Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could see our lives through Heaven's eyes? That's something I've been thinking about a lot lately, and when the song from The Prince of Egypt popped up on my iTunes, I felt like I really should share it. I've been filled with introspection lately, both of growth within the past year and in reevaluating conclusions drawn about earlier situations in my life, and it's caused me to appreciate so deeply the path my entire 30 years have taken, heartbreaks especially included. I love looking back and seeing how much God's hand has been in the details of my life, even though I've been at a loss to make sense of what was going on in the moment, whether it was moving back to California for high school (which, at the time, seemed like an absolute death sentence!!!) or the series of events that led me to move back to Utah three years ago, something I'd SWORN I'd never do.

As Marilyn Monroe once wisely said, "Sometimes things fall apart so that better things can fall together." That pretty much sums up the last year of my life. The most vital characteristics and virtues we need in life are shaped only through fiery trials, and while they're awful in the moment, the growth that comes out of it makes all the blood, sweat, and tears worthwhile. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

 So, enjoy. I know that while we only see what's ahead of us, God truly is involved in the details of our lives, and we have to TRUST Him with everything in us that things can and will work out when the timing is right. What He has in store for us is so, so, so much greater than anything we could possibly imagine - and living life from a place of abundance rather than scarcity is a simply glorious way to be!

Through Heaven's Eyes

 A single thread in a tapestry
Through its color brightly shine
Can never see its purpose
In the pattern of the grand design

And the stone that sits on the very top
Of the mountain's mighty face
Does it think it's more important
Than the stones that form the base?

So how can you see what your life is worth
Or where your value lies?
You can never see through the eyes of man
You must look at your life

Look at your life through heaven's eyes
Lai-la-lai...

A lake of gold in the desert sand
Is less than a cool fresh spring
And to one lost sheep, a shepherd boy
Is greater than the richest king
If a man lose ev'rything he owns
Has he truly lost his worth?
Or is it the beginning
Of a new and brighter birth?

So how do you measure the worth of a man
In wealth or strength or size?
In how much he gained or how much he gave?
The answer will come
The answer will come to him who tries
To look at his life through heaven's eyes

And that's why we share all we have with you
Though there's little to be found
When all you've got is nothing
There's a lot to go around

No life can escape being blown about
By the winds of change and chance
And though you never know all the steps
You must learn to join the dance
You must learn to join the dance
Lai-la-lai...

So how do you judge what a man is worth
By what he builds or buys?
You can never see with your eyes on earth
Look through heaven's eyes
Look at your life
Look at your life
Look at your life through heaven's eyes

Thankful No. 9: Starry Skies

"For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream."

- Vincent van Gogh

Ohhhh, how I love starry skies. Next to the temple, there is nothing that makes me feel connected to my Heavenly Father and provides much-needed perspective more than gazing at the stars, if only for a few moments. Somehow I feel so complete when contemplating the immensity of the heavens. It's so close to my heart, it's hard to express, really.

Few things inspire more awe than considering that God, our Heavenly Father, created everything on our planet and on so many others - and yet, He knows how many hairs are on my head. He understands - and, furthermore, actually cares - about every little detail of my life, from the major issues of marriage and career to getting a good parking spot in Orange County on those nights when I was sooooo exhausted, getting home at 1 a.m. from a city council meeting. How is that even possible?! And yet, it's the case. That idea totally blows my mind!

While camping at Capitol Reef this summer, I ended up outside at 3 a.m. and was absolutely amazed by the beauty of the starry sky. It was more full than any sky I've ever seen before, even more so than in Island Park. It's one thing to know there are lots more stars than we usually see - it's something else altogether to actually see them, spanning the sky from horizon to horizon. How many stars do we miss every night because of city lights? Similarly, how many blessings from God do we not recognize on a daily basis, taking them for granted? How many impressions do we miss because of distractions from other sources?

Also, the stars are so constant, coming in their appointed times and seasons, so sure that travelers of old looked to them for direction. I may not need them to indicate north, south, east, or west, but I do look to them for reassurance that despite whatever might seem so huge in my life at the moment, it'll pass. How many lives have they seen, after all? It's like my good friend Orion in the sky. Seriously, I feel such comfort and peace when I see that constellation, remembering how stressful that senior year of college was - and yet, the best times were ahead of me. Furthermore, how much has my life changed for the good since I blogged that three years ago? How much will that continue to be the case throughout all eternity?

So, unlike van Gogh, I do know some things with certainty - namely, that God our Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ, watch over us and are intricately involved with the details and complexities of our lives, even with all the immensity of their creations. And it is that knowledge, more than anything, that leaves me dreaming at the sight of starry skies.