Rose-Colored Glasses Only Work for So Long

This world is not our home, but we still have to live in it. Sometimes the easiest way to do that is to look at life through rose-colored glasses. Ignore all the bad in this world and hope for the best. But at some point we have to take off those rose-colored glasses and gulp in a dose of reality. Isn’t it hard to sit in it very long? It’s hard for everyone, not just for us who have the faith and the knowledge that this is not our home. Jesus is coming back for us.

Honestly, it’s got to be even harder if you don’t have any hope for a better life once you pass from this one.

Yes, our current times are difficult. We know there are Christians half way around the world being persecuted as we sit in comfort right now, reading this blog post. We like to push these thoughts away and pretend that it doesn’t affect us directly.

Sometimes, though, I wonder if we are just a couple of moments away from grasping what persecution feels like. Can you feel it in the thick air that stops us from saying what we think in public settings like work, and dare I say, church? Our Western world is in shambles. Politics, Religion, and Patriotism have all gotten thrown into a pot and we are eating it up. Each of us using our own discernment to work through the daily cries from our media to pay attention to to everything happening, minute by minute in brutal detail.

Life is truly exhausting. Even if you ignore what’s happening around you, you’re not immune to the consequences.

But rather than focusing on how or why we have come to be in this fallen world, the question remains “How do we live in it?”

God Has a Better Way than Rose-Colored Glasses

Here are three ways to peel off those rose-colored glasses and live in the here and now. Jesus didn’t sit back and ignore the troubles around him. I don’t think he wants us to either.

First things first: Talk to God – I mean all the time!!

Before you open your eyes in the morning, start talking. Ask him to help you focus on Him throughout the day. Pretend you are four and you have an imaginary friend named Jesus. Only he’s real. He’s so close he can see his reflection in your eye. Talk to him and tell him EVERYTHING. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Ask him how to process school shootings, the transgender movement that allows kids to have irreversible surgery, and laws that would allow abortions after a baby is born. These things are haunting and scary and sad. But an ongoing conversation with Jesus will ease your heart and mind.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.  1 John 4:18

Anxiety and fear can quickly take control of our heart if we let it. Constant conversation with Jesus will show you that God’s perfect love will set your heart at ease. That whole chapter four of first John is worth reading often. I was reminded of this when I starting looking for this verse.

Ask Jesus what he thinks about all the things happening. Be specific! He’s more solid and wise than any news commentator, podcaster, or Facebook friend. And Jesus wants only what is best for you. That is a rare gift.

Second way to live without our rose-colored glasses in this world: Put scripture in your heart.

I mean memorize it. Imagine you are trapped on a deserted island with no Bible. How much could you remember? Or here’s a more sobering example straight for the Gulag, imagine you are put in prison for the next 10, 20, or 30 years. This happened in Russia for many years. We should feel an urgency to know God’s word better than the lines to our favorite movie. Not because we are fearful of being put in prison, but because God’s word will sustain us through everything. It’s our anchor.

It’s hard, believe me I know! the older we get the more difficult it is to memorize. (See my post on multi-tasking to get some help with focus.) But when Satan pops in with lies and deception, the quicker you can recall a verse, the quicker you will be able to overcome him and the millions of lies he tells you about yourself and this world.

Self-help, self-love, and self-trust are the mantras of our age. Maybe it’s time to start trusting in God. Keeping His scriptures, His book, His words (you know, the red ones) will bring you clarity amid the clanging symbols of today. Remember, this world isn’t your home. Hold this life loosely and grab tightly to God through His word.

Thirdly: Think the best of everyone.

You can still keep the rose-colored glasses off, but don’t swap them for pessimism, anger, and distrust. This might be the hardest step. I recently heard someone suggest you put a “10” on top of everyone’s head in your mind. Just like God does. He loves everyone. We aren’t perfect but we can do better. Don’t you agree?

Try it for a solid day. Imagine the “10” on top of all your coworkers, all your customers, or all your family, and think of all the random people you encounter each day. Even the grumpy people you might run across online. The people who don’t know they are a child of God. And for some of you, the real test will be at church on a Sunday. Can you put a 10 on top of everyone’s head? Sometimes we are the hardest on our church family.

WE NEED TO REMEMBER TO GIVE THE GRACE THAT GOD GIVES US.

I hope that these three things will help you take off the rose-colored glasses and look honestly at the world around you. This world isn’t our home, but we do have to live here. We are called to be the light. Go make your city on hill.

You are precious in His sight