God’s Glance

framed photo of man with camera - photo by Portrenk from Pexels

In our new apartment, we hung pictures of our 10 grandchildren down the length of the hall. Our younger son said jokingly, “You’re going to have to get a longer hall.” He may be right, but no new lives are expected any time soon.

And these aren’t just any pictures. My husband painstakingly photographs each child with careful attention to background, lighting, and setting. He pores over a hundred options before selecting the one that he feels best represents that child’s personality.

People who come to visit us can easily see what we value. It’s our family.

This morning at prayer I asked God to bless all those kids. In my mind’s eye, I could take in all of them with a glance. All of their smiles, what they’re wearing, and their personalities were present to me with a single memory of walking down my hall the other day. Then I received an insight.

God can take in everyone on the earth—every single one of us—with a single glance. How infinite is our God who can see all of us simultaneously! And God is fully aware of our personalities, our depth, our backgrounds, and the light of Jesus shining in each beautiful face.

I can imagine that God has a long hall where he hangs pictures of all humanity. I ponder how God might group us together. Perhaps we are in order by age, like the grandkids on my wall. When people arrive in heaven, maybe they first get to stop at God’s wonderful wall and hear God brag. “Look what I’ve created!” God smiles. “Isn’t it beautiful? And it’s very, very good.”

In this action, God the Father shows a depth of love for humanity that is contagious. Maybe God teaches the newcomers in heaven how to take in at a glance all those people on the photo wall.

Maybe they aren’t pictures but rather movies of the best parts of our lives, and in a split second of considering this wall, we are saturated with goodness. Just like I can take in a collage of pictures all at once, God can see all facets of us and all our motivations throughout all time.

Some of the framed elements on God’s wall are works in progress. The saints view us here on earth and root for our safety and grace.

What goodness do the saints see when they look at my portrait? What do I want them to see?

Photo by Portrenk from Pexels.

Loretta Pehanich
Loretta Pehanich
Loretta Pehanich is a Catholic freelance writer and the author of Loyola Kids Book of Jesus, His Family, and His Friends, 2022: A Book of Grace-Filled Days, Women in Conversation: Stand Up!, and Fleeting Moments: Praying When You Are Too Busy. A spiritual director since 2012, Loretta is trained in giving the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Her involvement in ministry and parish life includes 20 years in small faith-sharing groups and Christian Life Community. Loretta gives retreats and presentations on prayer and women’s spirituality and is commissioned as an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist. She and her husband Steve have four children and 11 grandchildren.

6 COMMENTS

  1. Thanks Loretta. Children – they are the future pillars of Planet Earth, our Common Home. May each and every child be blessed with a happy present and a bright future.

  2. You’ve made me wonder what image of myself I’d want to have displayed, what image of my best self God hopes to one day be able to display, and whether these two images are the same?

  3. A happy self of myself..that’s what I beleive God almighty and Saints wants to see in me.

    Thanks dear Loretta ,your article reminded me of a beautiful prayer of God seeing everything from above at a glance …and my many experiences in life has actually made me beleive it’s true .

    Many many times, divine providence has set people ,arranged circumstances for my needs or wants, in ways simple or in ways too amazing to comprehend.

  4. We are the apple of God’s eye, each precious one of us. We are looked upon with love and concern. I know my messiness is very apparent to God (and God’s people). I know also that my strengths, such as they are, are revealed also. I would hope to be a tower of weakness as well.

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