The Things We See More Clearly with Time

In the spring of 1985, Marty Andrews and I served together for a couple of months, as missionary companions in Cambridge, England, for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Shortly after finishing my mission, we met again at the London Temple and had our photograph taken. We were young, full of hope, with so much of life still ahead of us.

Fast forward 41 years.

Last weekend, Monic and I had the wonderful opportunity to spend time with Marty and his wife, Wendy, in Utah. We enjoyed some lovely days together in Circleville and a memorable visit to Bryce Canyon National Park.

And, of course, another photograph! How much life has happened between those two pictures!

Marriages, children, grandchildren, careers, countless experiences, unexpected challenges, joys and sorrows. We’ve grown older, hopefully a little wiser, and perhaps gathered a few more wrinkles along the way!

But something rather interesting happened at Bryce Canyon.

We drove all the way up to the top, to Rainbow Point, at 9,115 feet. At that height, admittedly I did become a little light headed! Although, we were excited to enjoy the spectacular views from the highest point in the park.

There was just one problem – We could barely see a thing! I quipped; “We’ve come all this way to see some Scotch mist!”

Clouds and lots of mist obscured much of the landscape.

But as we began our descent, stopping at the various viewpoints along the way, something wonderful happened. The mist gave way to increasingly spectacular views. The magnificent amphitheatres, colourful rock formations and extraordinary beauty of Bryce Canyon gradually came into sight.

The lower we went, the clearer things became. Normally, we associate greater height with greater perspective. Yet that day, the opposite was true.

It got me thinking – perhaps life is a little like that?

We don’t always gain clarity by climbing higher, achieving more or looking further ahead.

Sometimes perspective comes from the journey itself. From the years of loving, learning, serving, struggling and growing – we’ve both had plenty of those things.

And through all those years, one constant in both our lives has been the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We both know that it hasn’t removed every cloud or answered every question. But it has given us direction, purpose and an enduring source of light.

The scriptures teach: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” – Psalm 119:105.

That certainly rings true for us.

Forty-one years later, the view looks rather different.

And perhaps we don’t need to see everything clearly to know we’re travelling in the right direction.

Sometimes the greatest clarity comes not from how high we’ve climbed, but from what we’ve come to understand along the way.

What has helped you see life more clearly as the years have passed?