I have wonderful windows in my apartment, wide and curtain free but, straight down and a tad to the left sit several of the ugliest buildings in North Bergen. Diagonally, Tonnelle Avenue heads up toward Fort Lee. To the west and northwest the meadows wear the dull, dusty greens of summer-past sprinkled with a few sparks of autumn’s crimson and gold. Always, at night, the lights in the Meadowlands are spectacular. Always there’s a wide expanse of an ever changing sky. I am blessed.
What’s strange, is that after living here for three years, I sometimes forget to look out. The windows, the views, from ugly to glorious, are sometimes forgotten and overlooked as I get caught up in life with its chores and trivialities and enjoyments.
So much of life depends on remembering to be present to what’s around us and within us. So much also depends on focus. Focus extends to reading the Bible. We probably all know someone who has completely lost the message of salvation in the N.T. by focusing on the wrath of God in the O.T. and in Revelations. Its easy for them to judge and condemn, to look for and find the evil in the world, the sin in those around them. They forget Christ completely.
In our prayer life, it’s helpful to remember that intercessory prayer, though wonderful, can be misused or overused. If we always dwell on who is ill, on the tragedies and sad happenings in the world, we train ourselves to overlook the good health, the blessings, the joys that surround us. Where do we find room for the Good News if we concentrate only on the bad? How can we find the abundant life Christ promised if our eyes are clouded by tears?
Dear Lord, guide me in reading Scripture, in prayer, in daily life. Help me to notice the morning glories climbing up the ugly wall; to give thanks for the overlooked absence of pain; to use compassion not to “feel sorry,” but to help; to, in some small way, make the world a bit better today. Help me to focus on your Good News and the beauty of a faith that can transform everything if I only pay attention and learn to focus on Christ. Amen
