During a creative worship time with my team today, our assignment was to go and take photos of things God was speaking through regarding four things: Himself, ourselves, another team member, and the city in which we do ministry. Today was a beautiful day, and I opted to go for a walk outside for my worship “photo scavenger hunt.”

I felt God spoke some encouraging things to me for each of those categories, but the one I specifically want to share with you is regarding my city. Here is the photo I took for that:

I felt as I was walking and praying yesterday that God was speaking about Derry that seeds that have been planted over the years are sprouting and beginning to grow. I tried to take a photo of the budding leaves on a tree in front of my house as a picture of that, but my camera refused to focus on the buds closest to the lens. Instead, it focused on the background, largely full of leaves which have been lying there since they fell last autumn.

As I looked at my photos to decide which to share with my team, I decided this one, where buds are visible but not terribly in focus, was the one. To me, it illustrates far more than just my original thought of new things growing. As I noticed the focus on the background, I was convicted about how many times I look at the things that have happened before and my vision for what God is doing now begins to blur.

It is a wonderful thing to look back at things God has done in the past and celebrate what He accomplished. But like each of those leaves on the ground, previous seasons and the beauty they brought have moved on. When we get so focused on what God has done before, whether in celebrating the good seasons or lamenting their passing, we can miss out on what He is doing right in front of us. I don’t want to be so focused on what is past that my vision for this moment and the future are blurred.

I am excited for the things God is doing in Derry right now. I believe this coming season will be full of growth and beauty, and I don’t want to miss a single bit of it!