Deuteronomy 11:7 – But it was your own eyes that saw all these great things the LORD has done. (NIV)

On a recent family vacation to the Grand Canyon, we flew into the Phoenix Airport. Wow! As you descend from the clouds above, you begin to see an amazing terrain below. A landscape filled with countless mountains raised high above the valleys, presenting a canvas of true majesty and magnificence. What a sight to behold!

Shamelessly, I have to admit that I had seen it all before as I had lived in Phoenix many years ago. But, I now realized, I never really saw it. For my eyes were not opened to the work of the Creator back then. The Creator, who blueprinted the perfection and splendor that had been carved out by His mighty hand. Oh, how did I not see it before?

Sadly, before we trust in Jesus, we are blinded to the most amazing, yet simplest truths of life. Truth of how much He loves and delights in us. How He is all sufficient for our needs and how He calls each of us to come and know Him personally. But, thankfully, by His grace, when our eyes are open, we can see all things with a brand new view!

Like the mountains that surrounded me that day, God’s grace and mercy were always present. They were reminiscent of clouds overflowing with light, hovering over the darkness that filled my life. How much He wanted to draw me to Him and bring me to His place of peace and rest. But, like many, I was stubborn, satisfied and content with a life with my own “creator,” me.

The day our hearts change and God reveals the fullness of His grace, we begin to see everything with a with a fresh new look. As God clears the clutter of sin in our hearts, it is replaced with a new ability to love more, to be filled with great compassion and to extend forgiveness to those that hurt us. Words cannot express the gratitude we have for God’s plan for our lives. We just accept, embrace and receive it.

So, today, as we begin a brand new year, ask God for a new perspective on things that seem ordinary or random. Allow Him to open your eyes and see the brilliance of an early sunrise. Or, to look at the fabric of the terrain that surrounds you each day and gaze at its beauty. Enjoy the puddles that form when rain falls or the first glimpse of a snowflake appearing from the sky. Cuddle underneath the stars that create our heavenly canopy at night or lay in the timeless beauty of a flowering meadow.

Or, simply ask God for forgiveness and know that your sins are remembered no more.

I pray that God opens our eyes to see more than what’s in front of us, so we may welcome a new year with a fresh new and exciting look!

Contributed by Diane Check: calvarycheck@comcast.net Diane has enjoyed writing short morning “thoughts for the day” for associates at her insurance company for the past few years. She lives in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, with her husband and son