When one looks through the glass of perception is it easy to see things differently. Setbacks appear as moments of extreme despair, good news quickly morphs into bad, and adversaries appear as giants. It is in these moments that we are most tested. Can we hold onto hope? Will we trust is what has sustained us in the past? Is it possible to be what we most hold true?
It is easy to be overwhelmed by life itself. There are far too many bad things happening to good people! The harsh reality is that innocents die in accidents driven by another’s choice. People make choices that are then imposed on others with disastrous consequences. Let your guard down and a small minority who do not feel secure will impose their will and power over you; danger lurks where you least expect it. Take your eye off a co-worker at your own risk; uncertainty about on all sides! It is as if one needs special x-ray glasses to know who is a true friend and who is not.
Joel saw the threat to Israel in the same light. “The locust army seems all horses—galloping horses, an army of horses.” (Joel 2.4) The challenge is simple; the threat is real. One doesn’t need glasses to see the measure of their destruction. Yet we still travel with hope.
Wearing glasses always changes reality. Even if you don’t need them what you see through them is different! I wonder if I have traveled for so long in the mud and yuck of life’s path that the glasses I have long warn for protection now block any chance of seeing the Hope that travels with you and me. Is evil strong? You bet! Can evil overwhelm me? Absolutely! Will I be able to stand alone against the adversary in my path? No chance! Should I give up? No, no, and no!
You and I have a Spirit to guide. The Spirit is our true eyes, willing to discern and see. With our extended hand the bond is true and firm.
