I shot at least twenty deer this week . . . through the lens of my camera (as you can see from my picture he’s giving me a nice profile shot).  After spending most of the day in airports and airplanes I was looking forward to taking a nice long run.  My hotel was close to O’Hare airport and adjacent to the Cook County Forest Preserve.  The forest preserve was beautiful with nice trails through the woods.  As I looked ahead on the trail through the splotches of sunshine coming through the trees I thought I saw a deer on the trail about a hundred yards up the trail.  Could this be possible – minutes from a ten lane major highway in the Chicago suburbs and on the approach path to O’Hare airport? 

 As I got closer I was certain the deer would take off into the woods, but then I saw more deer on either side of the trail.  My surprise was the deer didn’t move!  They just let me run right through the midst of them.  As I continued on the trail looking to the left and right I noticed that the forest was filled with deer!  I was able to come right up to them – they are beautiful creatures.  The next few days were filled with great joy running with my deer companions.

 As I reflected on my time seeing the deer, I started thinking just because you don’t see something it doesn’t mean it isn’t there.  As I became conscious of the deer and started looking through the forest I saw them all around me!  We often see what we’re looking for and we miss what we’re not looking for.  If you have looked at the video on you tube entitled “selective attention test” – you may miss what is right before your eyes because you’re not looking for it.

 The Psalmist said, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands” (Psalm 19:1).  When is the last time you looked into the sky and really saw God’s handiwork?  How many times do we go through life missing what God wants to show us?  May our eyes be open to all that He wants us to see “Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law” (Psalm 119:18).