Are you seeing clearly?

I have such a routine each morning when I get up.  Coffee, devotional/Bible reading, prayer, writing of some sort, daily goals and calendar review ~ my list is long!  Even though I do a lot electronically I'm a big pencil and paper gal, so I'm always jotting notes, making lists and just writing.  As I was looking at my calendar for today I remembered that I have my annual eye exam later this morning. I've been waiting for this day, as my glasses need constant adjusting and I'm sure I'm in for an Rx change.  It will be nice to have answers and know that some improvement will be made (I hope!)

However, I also know that I will have my eyes dilated mid-morning, so lots of reading and writing will be out of the question for a few hours.  You have no idea how frustrating that is for someone that is always doing those two things! I know that I will be sitting here trying my best to make things come into focus when I simply have to wait for the effects of those drops to wear off. Blurred vision is coming!

I spent last week in the classes I was teaching going over personality test results.  I had only spent a couple of days with 4 women that are taking the class and when I asked them "What do you think my personality type is?"  All 4 said "EXTROVERT!"  I love it when I ask that question and then I get to reveal my traits, before I share theirs with them.  You see, I actually test out as a pretty strong introvert.  Though I absolutely love teaching, public speaking and leading I really have strong introvert tendencies.  I crave solitude, quiet and need frequent times alone to recharge.  Some of my other traits are quite recognizable but that one is often not guessed at all.  I wrote a little bit about this in my last post, about how surprised those women were when I told them the results of their own tests.  I have thought about it so much over the last few days, it is still rattling around in my head.  We think we know and understand people around us, we think we have a clear picture of who they are and what they are like.  The process for these classes that I am teaching was to review an application, do a short interview and then we all met to start the job and life skills classes.  I will meet with this group of 4 women from now until the end of May, 3 days each week. After just one week of classes my first impressions are already proving to be somewhat wrong. There are unexpected treasures in each of these women that I'm just beginning to discover. The really cool thing is to watch them discover those things about themselves. 

Do you have blurred vision when it comes to those around you? Do you only see an image but don't really take the time to get to know them or understand them? It can be a challenge, and it can take us out of our comfort zone to take that step to really learn about someone. Ask questions, listen and look beyond that first impression.  You may be the only one who extends a hand of compassion, understanding and/or acceptance to those you encounter.

Set out today to see others as God sees them.  I assure you, when you keep that thought in your mind always - to view others as God does - your opinion will change, and it might just change you!  I know it does me.  

1 Corinthians 13:12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. NLT

Prayer: Lord, help me see clearly today.  Open my heart to You, so that I may in turn open mine to others. Guide my thoughts, words and actions in all that I do so that it be pleasing to You.  ~Amen~