I was sitting in my office yesterday, probably reading something on Twitter, when I turned to my right and saw that my blinds were closed. I’m fortunate enough to have an office that has a window. It’s great.
But today, I opened the blinds. I hadn’t opened them for a while. I guess looking outside didn’t do me much good before. But I figured I’d give it another shot.
I looked outside, and at first it wasn’t too bad. A little dreary, but not too bad. An hour later, rain was drizzling on my window, and it looked pretty bad outside. Why did I even open the window?
I thought having my blinds open in my office would let more light in and brighten up my day. Instead, all it is doing is reminding me how dreary it really is outside. I don’t know which I prefer: the pleasant deception or the grim truth.
I like to look at things as better than they actually are. Let’s be real: it’s just rosier and it makes me feel good inside.
It’s so much easier to look at the pleasant deceptions.
I want to look at my favorite sports team – Arsenal, a Premier League soccer team who is known for its incredible talent yet struggles to fulfill expectations – and think they’ve finally got a chance to win the league title this year.
I want to look at the state of the church and think we’ve got it all figured out.
I want to look at my country which I love and think we’ll make all the right decisions in how we handle conflicts at home and abroad.
I want to look at my family and think all disturbances will be resolved and love will reign supreme all the time.
I want to look at myself and think I’m generally a pretty good guy who makes mistakes every once in a while.
However, there are a few grim truths that I’m dying to avoid.
I look at Arsenal and realize that other teams in the league are just better and our players can’t stay healthy long enough to win a title.
I look at the church and realize that we’re an imperfect vessel that will always fall short of being a perfect vessel worthy of God’s service.
I look at my country and realize that there’s a bunch of imperfect people running it who will not always make the best decisions for me and my countrymen.
I look at my family and realize that there’s brokenness and sin that tears us apart at times.
I look at myself and realize that I’m a man who has fallen short of the glory of God over and over again.
There’s a real freedom in acknowledging the grim truths. It’s in the grim truths where the grace of God is found. Especially when I look at myself and see all the grim truths about me. I sin. I fall short. I’m never going to be enough for God on my own.
But in facing that grim truth, I see the grace of God, which is most definitely not a pleasant deception. A grim deception keeps me away from the pleasant truth that is the overwhelming, unfading, eternal, never-ending, grace of God, given through Christ.
And it’s a grace born out of love that will never end. And one day, all those issues will no longer be on my plate. EVER.
And, like Roman Reigns says, you can BELIEVE THAT.
By A Ransomed Soul 