Yesterday the squad went to Lake Atitlan for our adventure day. I had heard a few weeks ago from some tourists that it was beautiful and a great place to visit. I decided to go because I love the lake at home; it’s peaceful and beautiful and one of my favorite places to be. On the way down, we stopped at a lookout to take some pictures, and the view of the mountains and the lake was breathtaking! I was very excited to get to the lake and relax!
When the bus dropped us off in one of the towns by the lake, I went off with a group in search of a place to sit by the lake. It was nothing like home, for sure. There was really no beach area or dock to sit on anywhere we went. The ground was littered with trash and debris. And the lake that looked so beautiful from the lookout area, wasn’t as pretty when you got close to it. Not only was there trash on the ground, but there was trash floating in the water as well. Because the lake is one of my favorite of God’s creations, it make me really sad to see a lake this way.
We never did find a place to sit by the lake, but we did go to a restaurant with a stunning view of the lake and mountains. Even knowing that there was trash in the lake, I was able to look past that and see the beauty around me. As I began journaling about my day, and my different perspectives of the lake, it hit me that my life is like that lake. Maybe from a distance, my life looks beautiful (easy, exciting, etc.) But if you get closer to me, you will see that my life is filled with trash (worries, regrets, struggles, etc.) It’s all about your perspective.
Then there’s God and His perspective. When He looks at me, He does see the trash, and that trash doesn’t please Him. It’s not what He intended for my life, just like trash isn’t supposed to be floating in a lake. But, He looks past the trash and sees the beauty that is also there. He sees what makes me truly beautiful, which is Jesus.
