Keep Looking Out

I was sitting in my chair, looking out the window, like I do most mornings. The light was bright, and it made everything look cheerful.  As I sat, though, the clouds would mute the sunlight some, and that’s when I noticed all the smudges on the window. I don’t know if I’ve ever washed these windows, so there is significant grime on them.  I knew that there was a message here for me. More than just, learn to clean. I sat for a while, but it didn’t clear up (or clean itself—how rude).

This morning I sat again, a little earlier and with a little more cloud cover. (I did see a little blue sky). The smudges and dirt were more obvious and what’s more, it distracted me from looking outside. I was missing the leaves and the sky because all I could see was my own incompetence.

Lord, what are you saying here?

Don’t get so distracted by your own failures, your own sin, and the dirt in your life that you can’t see what’s beyond. We can clean together, and that will be good, but don’t miss what’s going on outside yourself. Your focus can’t stay on these failures or you’ll miss what I’m doing.