grace glasses

Waking up, I rub my eyes and squint at the world around me.  My vision seems normal because, well, I'm used to this view.  But what I don't realize is that my eyes are unfocused.  That I'm missing that all-important lens through which I view the world.

Someone left the milk out of the counter.  Now it's warm.  Gross.  I roll my eyes and mutter something about people who are too irresponsible to complete a simple task. 

Driving down the expressway, someone cuts me off.  "Really?!?  What a jerk!  Couldn't you see me here??"  I speed away to get out of the path of the negligent driver.

The day winds on. 

And I still haven't noticed.

The phone rings.  I spent ten minutes trying to calm down the person on the other end.  The person who has been yelling at me and accusing me of being harsh.  "Are you serious?!  I've been trying to HELP you this whole time and you respond by blaming ME for your problems??"

It isn't until later, much later, that I realize it.  All of a sudden it hits me.

My vision's been blurry all day. 

I forgot my grace glasses. 

See, it might sound kinda crazy, but it's true.  When I first wake up in the morning, I need to remind myself to slip on those "grace glasses".  I must view others through eyes of grace.  It is so very easy for me to be critical and harsh and fight against the world.

The cashier calls for a price check and apologizes for the wait.  I sigh.  Oops.  My grace glasses slipped.... Adjusting the focus of my heart, I smile and say, "I don't mind!  It's not your fault!  How much longer until you're done for the day?".

See, the truth is that these grace glasses are actually for my heart as well as my eyes.  When I wake up with a bitter, cynical view on the world, I see everything as an attack.  When I remember those grace glasses, I easily forgive and bless others.  I remember that in the course of all eternity, these little trivial things don't really matter.

These grace glasses aren't just about making me a nicer, softer person though.  Because I remember that each and every day the ultimate Judge views me through eyes of grace.  Can I not afford others the same grace?

So the next time that my vision is unfocused and critical, I need to remember how I am viewed by God.  That each and every day He looks at me through grace of which I am so, so undeserving.  When I'm truly amazed at the grace I've received, it becomes much easier to pass on that grace to others.