I realize I often see life through rose colored glasses. It is as if I can’t see what is really there. It isn’t as if I am completely na?ve, but I look at people and things for what they could be. There is a time when one must open one’s eyes and see the truth. The need comes when every presumption must be washed away and a full, clear, look taken of where things stand. The view cannot be halfway; it must be from all sides.
The first assumption that must be broken is the sugar coated way one sees evil. The harsh realities are just that, harsh, uncaring, and ugly. However they are what they are. One writer captures the true picture of those around the faithful to God.
“These people are warts on your love feasts as you worship and eat together. They're giving you a black eye—carousing shamelessly, grabbing anything that isn't nailed down. They're—puffs of smoke pushed by gusts of wind; late autumn trees stripped clean of leaf and fruit, doubly dead, pulled up by the roots; wild ocean waves leaving nothing on the beach but the foam of their shame; lost stars in outer space on their way to the black hole.” (Jude 1.12, 13)
Are we willing to do the same?
I usually stop here, exhausted and not willing to continue, yet Part B is as crucial as part A. How does God see anyone willing to turn towards community, mercy, and compassion?
“Since we've compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we're in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be.” (Romans 3.23, 24)
We are at a crossroads in our life and we blissfully think all is well. It is, if we accept God’s gift.
