Seeing the Leprechaun

What do you see?

This painting hangs in one of the hallways in the building where I work.  There is nothing spectacular about it.  And there aren’t any happy little trees in it, which disappoints the part of my brain that stores memories of Bob Ross painting landscapes while speaking in one of the most soothing voices that human ears have ever heard.  Unlike his majestic masterpieces, this painting features a vase full of flowers on a ledge overlooking what appears to be a body of water.  So boring.

At least this is what I thought until I noticed the leprechaun.

I had walked by this painting numerous times and never noticed the little guy.  After hearing me complain about the ugly painting that adorns one of the walls in my office, a co-worker walked me up to this painting and asked me if I could see the leprechaun.  I couldn’t.  He told me to look closer.  I still couldn’t see him.  After walking backward and forward, after turning my head first this way and then that, he gave me the only hint that I needed.

“He’s a little green leprechaun coming out of a horn o’ plenty taking time to smell the flowers.”

That’s when I saw him.

Do you see him now?

Maybe you still don’t see him.  But I do.  And now that I am able to see him, I am unable to see anything else.  And it is all because someone who had already seen him took the time to point him out to me.

The heavens declare the glory of God;
   the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Psalm 19:1

Not everyone can see God and His glory through creation, but I can. 

I can see is unmatched beauty through a multi-colored sunset.

I can see His sustaining presence in an old oak tree.

I can see His magnificent strength in the mountains that rise into the sky.

I can His delicate design in the face of a child.

Can you?

Creation, God’s painting,  is still beautiful though it is marred by the effects of sin.  And it still declares the glory of God.  It is hard for some to see it, but it is surely there.  May those who have seen God through His creation never hesitate to point Him out to those who haven’t yet realized His presence. 

This process may take a while and it can be frustrating.   But it is worth it. 

Because once they truly see Him, they will be unable to see anything else. 

(Did you see the leprechaun right away?  Or did it take seeing the second picture?  Or are you still not able to see it?  What are other ways can you see God through creation?  Share away!)