Hiding in Plain Sight

Photography and writing by Lillian Cucuzza

It was an early autumn morning just before sunrise. I was on a mission to photograph a male Painted Bunting, one of the most colorful birds in North America. As I quietly crept along the boardwalk, a breeze rustled through the trees and bushes. Out of the corner of my eye, movement amongst the leaves caught my attention. Turning my head very slowly to the left, there it was: a beautiful male Painted Bunting, perched on a fall-colored cypress tree branch, blending in perfectly, with a feather lifted ever so slightly by the breeze. His head feathers appeared a dull black instead of the usual bright blue due to the lack of sunlight, keeping him hidden from sight. His red-orange breast was framed and camouflaged by the orange leaves of the cypress tree. Had it not been for the movement of that feather, I would have never seen him, and yet, he was right out in the open, in plain sight. God gave this tiny bird a “coat of many colors,” which the Painted Bunting uses to blend into the foliage around him as a protective measure, making it difficult to see this beauty if one is not looking for it. I snapped this shot before he flew off deep into the brush.

Birds and critters are all around watching us while hiding in plain sight. We do not see them either because we are not looking for them, we do not know what to look for, or we simply are not paying attention because we are focused on other things.

That is exactly how it is with God. He is all around us, omnipresent, ever watching, but He is not hiding; He is in plain sight. Either we are not looking for Him, we do not know what to look for, or maybe we are not paying attention to the visible signs that surround us because we are too busy focusing on everything else.

Have you ever wondered if God really exists? Well, wonder no more. Creation itself is evidence of God, the Creator. The creation process is not as important as the origin of creation: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1 NIV) He not only created the heavens and the earth, but He also created everything in them.

Then, out of His great love, He created mankind in His image, and He gave us dominion over the earth, which means we are valuable in His eyes. Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:26-27 NIV) He even gave us the unique privilege of being able to communicate and fellowship with Him, which separates humanity from every other created animal.

Every bit of creation testifies to God, the Creator. God reminds us daily that He exists by surrounding us with His beautiful creation, in plain sight, for all to see. All we need to do is look around, observe, and then acknowledge, thank, and worship our omnipotent and loving Creator.