You see, but you do not observe

Kelly: This phrase has been a topic of discussion for quite some time now between Holly and I. I first heard this phrase for the first time in an episode of Sherlock in which many question how he reaches his many conclusions based on his deductions. His reply: "I observe. You see but you do not observe." The more I think about this phrase the more I try to go throughout my day observing rather than just seeing.

Now what do I mean by that? Today in church the topic of discussion was focused on seeing God's plan as a big picture. We may not see the whole picture rather maybe just a piece of the puzzle. We cry out for God to change one small part of our life but completely disregard what else is going on in our lives. Then we miss it. We've missed the bigger picture right there. We focused on one part (seeing) but like I said just forgot what else He has in store for us (observing). So my mini challenge for a while is this; observe. Observe what goes on around us. Yes, we have eyes that see wonders anew. But it's not our role as Christians to simply watch the world go by and be passive. It's not our role to assume that others will "pick up the slack" so to speak while once again we stand on the sidelines and "pray for the will to be done." Observing takes time, effort and patience. It's not a light switch; it won't happen overnight. But in order to observe what is going on around us one has to make a conscious effort to do so. I like what I see on a daily basis; imagine where God could take us if we LET Him open our eyes wider for observations!

Holly: I narrow down "seeing and observing" into two simple words: pay attention!  I think seeing is just a conceptual thing...something you do with your eyes.  "I see you" is a classic example.  Observations go beyond what our eyes see: making a note to do something and then actually following through with it, remembering tasks that go on in your daily lives, being outside and taking in not just the sights but the sounds, smells, textures.  If you just "see" one thing, then I think you completely miss the big picture.  You miss it.

An example from my life: My last semester of college (and I'm certain many of you up-and-coming grads can also attest to this), my mantra was "I cannot WAIT to graduate!  I cannot WAIT to be done!!!"  Yes, college was challenging.  But it was my last semester, and I greatly treasured my memories of my time at Berea and I vowed to do my best to make every moment count.  I did more, saw more, laughed more, made more memories, all because I chose to go beyond the scope of the small of it all.    **I would also like to point out that now that I'm almost 7 months out from graduation, I terribly miss Berea.  All of it.  So be careful what you wish for.**

Observe.  Take in everything, not just what you can immediately see.