CHANGE YOUR GLASSES

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature…For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’"1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV)

My sister gave me two different pairs of sunglasses. Pair A is stylish with lightly tinted lenses and gold frames, aka Aviator glasses, because the outward-facing lens has a mirror-reflective coating. Pair B is promotional sunglasses with dark UV-coated lenses and frog-green frames. When I use Pair A, the world is golden-colored. I see the beauty of the landscape.

However, the world is hazy when I wear these glasses. I don’t see changes in the clouds with these glasses. With Pair B’s super dark lenses, I see clearer, more accurate changes in the landscape, especially the clouds. I switch back and forth between the glasses depending on how I want to see the world. Some days, I want gold and hazy. Other days, I want clear accuracy.

Recently, I had a meltdown over a couple of small things. The first small thing-I missed a day in my Bible application and had to start over. Then, I broke a plate from a dinnerware set that I’ve had since college.  Neither incident should’ve been traumatic. Even together, they shouldn’t have been a big deal. They were! 

I tried to piece the plate back together, but it shattered beyond repair. The Bible application doesn’t allow do-overs. As I swept up the plate's pieces, I felt a deep sense of loss. The same was true when I missed a day in the Bible app. I wanted to sit down and cry, hold a funeral for these losses. My rational mind was like, “Vonyee, it’s just a plate. You can start over in the Bible app.” I tried to convince myself I was okay.

I wasn’t okay. I knelt and prayed, “God, help me!” I wanted God to show me what was going on in my heart. As I prayed, God reminded me of my two pairs of sunglasses. What the Lord showed me during my prayer time was that I needed to “change my glasses.” In 1 Samuel 16:7, God tells the prophet Samuel, “Don’t look on his appearance or on the height of his stature. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

I saw my circumstances with my own hazy, gold-colored vision. My glasses gave me an inaccurate view. I needed to see my circumstances with God’s eyes. Thankfully, our Lord sees our hearts and the circumstances that affect us. In my journey to be unstoppable in Christ, I must choose to see as God sees in every situation.

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Your Turn: Are there circumstances where you need to “change your glasses”? Are there people in your life that you find difficult? Do you need to see them with God’s eyes? Will you start today?

Prayer: Father God, I need You. When I am overwhelmed with loss and grief, allow me to see situations as You see them. In my relationships, let me see people as You see them. Give me courage to follow Your path even when I don’t see a way. In Jesus’ name. Amen.