We have all benefited from the rich blessings he brought to us — one gracious blessing after another. (John 1:16)

    Well, last week, I shared an insight about God’s New Glasses. That message focused on people and seeing them as God does. But there is another side to God’s new glasses that doesn’t deal with others so much as does the way we view our world. So often, we forget that we have an option about this. But, amazingly, we can decide to see our circumstances in a different way IF WE SO CHOOSE. We can decide to see the good, see the joy, see the fun in our current circumstances. More than just comparing what we with those less fortunate, we can see the blessings God has given us in every day. We can put on God’s new glasses and realize that we have been blessed, and the “blessin’ has just started commencin”! We can realize that it’s only going to get more glorious!

    While the story I’m about to share is no wild pilgrimage in search of a great holy city, it is a reminder that God can help us see beyond our “Smallville” mentality to the world of his glory and grace. That grace isn’t stuck in a museum to be ogled at by rich vacationers, but it is placed in our heart and at the end of our nose where it changes the way we view... everything.

    I often eat at the Sam’s deli. Sam’s Clubs are a big chain of wholesale stores, and we shop there for church supplies. The deli is a little snack stand near the front of the store with a few metal tables and chairs. Nothing fancy. I ate there the other day — a pretzel and a small salad, with a Diet Coke in a styrofoam cup. I sat at a table next to a display of cheap plaster garden statues covered by a blue nylon portable tent patio cover. In the middle of the display was a black plastic fountain with water supplied by a garden hose, surrounded by fake greenery.

    Was this the success I dreamed about as a kid? Was my goal to end up eating a cheap lunch by some warehouse display as I hurried to my next appointment? This is IT?????????

See the difference?

    I decided to try on my New Glasses. Here’s what I saw. On the table before me was a warm fresh baked twist of delicious soft pretzel, golden brown and hot from the oven. Next to it was a crispy fresh salad tossed with tangy cheese and topped with grilled breast of chicken, lightly seasoned, all covered with just the right amount of slightly tart Caesar Dressing. And for my beverage, a foaming flagon of chilled Coke, perfectly iced to my taste. I ate this feast under a gracefully sloping tented roof the color of the Mediterranean sky, surrounded by statues modeled on the work of great artists, while listening to the serene sound of water gently flowing into an ebony fountain.

    See the difference? Try on your Glasses. See how they fit. I’ll bet you never take them off. In fact, why don’t you put them on this weekend, fire up that old rusty barbecue, and grill some fatty hamburger meat. Instead of greasy burgers, you’ll find yourself eating delicious braised medallions of flame kissed beef, swimming in their own succulent juices!

    Well, I thought I was finished, but in looking back over things, I got a sneaky suspicion that you’re probably thinking “More pie in the sky in the great by and by” drivel that doesn’t make a big difference. You may be thinking, “He doesn’t know the mess I’m saddled with or the problems I’m drowning in.” Ah, but you’re wrong there. You see, it’s hard to find a resumé of harder knocks than the apostle Paul. He was super-religious to the point of being berserk enough to wound, mame, and kill others. Yet he couldn’t find blessing, joy, grace, and liberation in his religion. So God remade him from the heart out and the ground up.

    After Paul discovered God’s grace in Jesus, he didn’t look at anything the same ever again. But, he did find great joy even when his friends abandoned him, when his foes put him in prison, and when things looked dismal or disastrous. He put on his new glasses and told folks to rejoice — to see their blessings and to share his joy. Now how is this possible. Ah... here’s the catch. You’re going to want to pick up the Bible and read that little book in the New Testament called Philippians. Notice how tough things were for Paul and how full of joy Paul was. It was those glasses. Not rose colored, but Christ colored. And they changed everything. And they can for you, too. Because even the common trip to a Sam’s Club can remind you that your destination is not the cash register discount, but the glory that is yet to be revealed in us.

    So how about it; don’t you want to try your new glasses?

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again‹rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:4-9)

Title: "God's New Glasses: Part Deux!"
Author: Cary Branscum
Publication Date: May 17, 2002

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