Sometimes the view is beautiful, but for some reason, it’s not quite right.

As we drove through the hills of Door County, we saw many gorgeous views, but we couldn’t get a clear, unobstructed view. Something always seemed to be in the way: a car, sign, mailbox, telephone pole, person, and so on. I snapped this photo, because despite the obstacles, I wanted to capture a glimpse of the quilt of colors among the treetops. As I later went through the photos I had taken throughout the day, I paused at this one and thought, “All those obstacles actually make the photo more real.”

Isn’t that the way with life? We don’t want the obstacles. We get annoyed with them. We ignore opportunities in order to avoid the obstacles. But they’re actually part of the reality of life. They make each snapshot of our lives more true, more rich, more colorful. Our lives aren’t edited movies. Sure, we have many choices along the way, but living by faith isn’t living by control. It’s living God’s way. And to be honest,

I’d rather have the obstacles He knows will make my life beautiful His way than create a fake picture-perfect life of my own.

“He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts, but man cannot discover the work God has done from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)