Ahhhh, a new window. A clean, clear window. Right next to an old, dirty scratched window. Hmmm, maybe Thomas should’ve broken both of them. Then I’d have a new set. But, my teenage son wasn’t thinking about both windows. All he wanted was to get into his home.
Of course, having his keys with him probably would have made this chore much easier. But, when you're 16, keys aren’t a priority. And Nathan, his 14 year-old brother, decided he doesn’t want to walk back to the house to give Thomas keys.
Guess Thomas could’ve used his cell to call mom at work, only a mile away. No, he needed in the house and the window was unlocked. Oh, but the bar in the window track put up a fight and his right hand went through the glass and we spent a few hours in the Urgent Care, getting stitches. The joys of being a mother to three wonderfully fantastic boys. No boring life for this Oklahoma girl.
So, now I have two windows side-by-side. They have the same job. They enable me to look out of them and watch boys, birds, squirrels, and a dog play. They allow me to watch the rain and to keep an eye on my two tomato plants, which is my attempt at a container garden. I love my windows. But, now they are different.
I’ve heard it said that our lives are the window in which we show the world God. So, if that’s so, and I like to think it is, then which window are we? Actually, maybe the better question should be how do we become clear?
This means that everyone who comes to Christ is a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun. 2 Corinthians 5:17, NLT
A new life. Like a new window. Clean. Clear. Shining.
Isn’t that what we long for? Yet, we seem to get bogged down. By our past. By our present. And by our future. We take our focus off God and we see the ugliness around us. And, at times, on us. Life itself throws dirt and cobwebs on us and leaves us scratched and scarred. When we focus on that, our windows become clouded. But, when we allow God to renew us, our windows become clear. Focused. Shining.
So even though I don’t want to pay to have my old window replaced, God payed the price, with the life of His Son, to make us brand new. Whenever you don’t feel clean, remember you’re a new person. God sees a clean, new window when He looks at you.
Now, if Thomas can just choose a smaller window to break next time….
Originally published mywildgardenblog, on May 11, 2013