Yesterday, we had our windows cleaned for the summer. Janet and I used to do it but we have come to the place that we now would rather spend our time in other ways. In other words, it’s too much work for us to do these days…
Each spring, we have several chores that we do to get ready for the summer. We plant flowers, power wash the deck, the fence and the lower patio, get out the furniture and cushions, clean and install the bird feeders, start the fountain, mulch the yard and, when everything else is finished, get the windows washed for the summer. While we do some of the purchasing and planting of flowers, many of the other things on our list are now done by others who help us get everything done.
I noticed last evening how clean everything looked and how clearly we could see the flowers in the yard – through our spotless windows. It occurred to me that I had lost perspective throughout the year as the windows gradually accumulated dirt and reduced our field of vision.
I was reminded of my first year of high school back in 1966. We were in a mathematics class and I happened to be seated near the back of the room – having a name starting with “T” put me quite a distance from the front of the room. It was the first or second day of class and the teacher called on me to read, and solve, a problem she had put on the board. I started to move up the aisle toward the front of the class and I was promptly told to stay where I was – I was to solve the problem from my desk…
Well, I couldn’t read the board from where I was. I could barely see the chalk numbers, let alone know what they were. In today’s world I would tell you that the things said to me wouldn’t fly, but that was a different era… I was dismissed from the class and told to report to the office. My parents were instructed to get me an eye exam and, sure enough, it was determined that I needed glasses.
Now I don’t want you to think that my parents didn’t take care of my medical needs or annual exams. Apparently, my eyesight deteriorated rather quickly in less than a year. A few days later I was sporting a pair of glasses and I have worn glasses since that day when I was thirteen.
I couldn’t believe how much better I could see with my new spectacles. Moreover, I couldn’t believe that I didn’t notice how poorly I was seeing – and this was all within a year. But it also taught me a lesson. Things can happen over time, bit by bit, and sometimes we don’t notice the change. Just like our dirty windows!
But that’s how our lives sometimes work. We think we are in perfect shape and then something happens that shows us we aren’t exactly where we thought we were. That’s how it was with our windows and that’s how it was that day in math class when I couldn’t see the blackboard. Both of those events were good examples of our human failure to be objective about ourselves.
That’s also how it can happen in our spiritual lives. We can get away from going to church, or surrounding ourselves with other believers. Maybe we drop out of a Bible study or stop our devotions. At first, it may not seem like things have changed. But ever so lightly at first, and then faster, we will eventually lose our way and drift away from God. That doesn’t mean that we lose our belief in the Lord – just that we may not be as close in our relationship as we thought we were. No, Jesus doesn’t move away from us – we are the ones who move – and, usually, not intentionally…
Our verse for tonight highlights the fact that people who turn to the Lord have their veil lifted. We all see more clearly when we stay as close as we can to the Lord. The apostle Paul tells us, in his second letter to the church at Corinth, in 2 Corinthians 3:16-18, “But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
My encouragement is that we each have the opportunity to see that Lord clearly. All we have to do is to accept the free gift of eternal life. My prayer is that with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will see Christ ever more clearly as our relationship with Him matures. Now, I think I will put on my glasses, look through our clean windows and enjoy the yard! Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…