I hate to make anyone jealous, but I went to the dentist this week. I know so many people love a good dental visit. It really is a highlight on everyone’s schedule. Actually, I don’t mind it. In fact, I rather enjoy visiting my dentist’s office. The people are all delightful and pleasant to talk to. The same hygienist cleans my teeth pretty much every time and our chat just picks right up each time.
At one point I had to put on the protective glasses to keep the spray from getting in my eyes. She handed them to me and apologized for how cloudy and scratched up they had gotten after repeated cleanings. I put them on and the room was immediately fuzzy. We laughed and joked about it while she finished the cleaning. Once she was done and I took the glasses off, I got up to rinse with mouthwash at the sink.
As I looked in that mirror above the sink I could see some gray hairs and the crow’s feet at the corners of my eyes. I turned and asked her if I could have those fancy glasses back because I wouldn’t be able to see the gray hair and wrinkles while wearing them. We had another laugh about it. I told her I felt a blog post coming on.
I can’t stop thinking about those cloudy glasses this week. I can’t help but think about how so much of life and our individual circumstances depend on how we see it. Where we’re looking and what our perspective is makes a big difference in how our days go. What kind of glasses are you seeing your world through? Is your world scuffed up and cloudy? Are you seeing things the way you should?
I’ve been thinking about those glasses as I’ve walked this week. In particular, it made me take notice of one certain tree along my path. That’s it that you see pictured above. It looks just like many trees do in the winter. Gray background, mostly empty branches just standing firm through the winter.
Here’s the thing. I walk all the time. I walk the same route. I look at the same trees. I know something else about that tree. In the summer, when it’s in full bloom with all its leaves, it is shaped like a heart. It makes me happy every time I walk by it because I see a heart. On these cold, gray days of winter, I still see the heart. I look at it and smile nearly every time I walk by it. Now that you’ve read this, I bet if you look close you can sort of make out the heart shape in the branches. I took a picture of it in the summer so I could be reminded of it. I attached it so you can see it, too.
It was approximately 25 degrees this morning as I walked by that tree. I had on a thermal shirt, a hoodie, a jacket, a toboggan, gloves. I could see my breath and my fingers were stinging cold. I thought of that heart shape. And summer. And blue skies. And warmth. I thought about how thankful I am that summer always comes. That gray days never last forever. That I can see beyond today.
In 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, Paul says “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
To me, this means that I don’t want to focus too much on my present circumstances because it all changes. If I spend too much time focused on the change I don’t like, the problems that try to chase me down and trip me up or the bad days that try to follow me around, then I might need to take off my scuffed up glasses so I can fix my gaze on what is not seen. When I looked at that tree today, I saw what was unseen. I don’t want anything to cloud my view of God and how much He loves me. How much He loves all of us.
We need to look beyond the challenges of today. Winter doesn’t last forever. That barren tree is full of life whether I see it or not. It will show its heart again soon on warmer, brighter days. That helps me see past my temporary circumstances to the everlasting love that God has for us. I can see how He keeps His promises. I can see how He is just as faithful during the gray days as He is during the bright, sunny ones.
Let’s take off those glasses that are only allowing us to see life’s scuffs and clouds. They are keeping us from having the confidence that comes from seeing clearly. As Psalm 16:8 says, “I keep my eyes on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
