“For now we see through a glass darkly,

but then face to face; now I know in part,

but then shall I know even as also I am known.”

(I Corinthians)

I have always felt bad when I saw someone walking with a cane.  Now I am walking with a cane and I am delighted. The wheelchair is gone.  I use the walker only when I have to do a lot of walking. Otherwise I can navigate with just a cane.

This has entirely changed my perspective.  People who see me may be thinking, “Poor lady,” while I am thinking, “I am so lucky to be able to do this.” This experience has reminded me of something we all know, but can easily forget.  Things are not always as they seem.

The rude store clerk may have a mother who is dying of cancer or an abusive husband or a son who is doing drugs. She isn’t rude because she doesn’t care. She is rude because she cares too much about people she loves who are hurting. She is one big hurt herself.

The person who cuts us off in traffic may not be a selfish road hog with anti-social tendencies.  He may be a man who is worried about losing his job and is running late to get to a meeting.

Things are not always as they appear.  If we knew another person’s life story, the situation could look very different to us.  I sometimes pray that I would see others through God’s eyes.  I need to pray that prayer more often.

Being able to see people as they are and not just as they appear is a sacred gift.  I wish you countless sacred gifts.

We see what we look for. If you look for the good in a person, you see it.  If you look for the good in a situation, you see it. If you look for the bad in people or situations, you see it.This probably sounds like too simple an explanation of life, but I believe it’s true.

If you are looking for something, you are mentally discarding all the information that doesn’t fit the picture you see in your mind. Looking for the good means you will be much more apt to see the good. If you look for what is right in your life and savor the small joys, the sadness and anger you feel because of your problems will lessen.

Looking for the good won’t make the problems magically disappear. Nothing can do that. When you solve a problem, one or two more will appear. They always do.  We can’t create a life that has no problems, but we can control how much the bad affects our lives. If we focus on looking for the good, we can keep the bad from coloring the whole picture of our lives.

The ability to look for the good in each person and situation is a sacred gift.  I wish you countless sacred gifts.