Wearing Multifocals

James 2:13 Yes, you must show mercy to others. If you do not show mercy, then God will not show mercy to you when he judges you. But the one who shows mercy can stand without fear before the Judge.

Conflict happens all around us, and all too often we contribute to it by travelling down the same old, well-worn path of reacting badly. We wish we could see things differently, but somehow we just make the same mistake … again!

A little while back, I went to the optometrist for a new pair of glasses and she suggested a pair of multifocals where the lenses transition between close-up, mid-range and distance viewing. Now it was a bit of a leap of faith, but I went for it.

Well, when I first put them on it felt like the floor was moving. And it took a while to get used to which part of the lens to look through to see things at different distances.

But a few weeks on and I hardly noticed them. My brain had automatically made the adjustments for me, without me even having to think about it.

I suspect that the same is true in life. We see things a certain way, the way we’ve always seen them. “Well, I had to cut him off. What would the boss think? My promotion’s at stake here.” Hmm.

But if we dare to put on a different set of glasses and look at that same situation through the lens of mercy … well, it naturally takes a bit of time to adjust. But in the not too distant future, that very same situation ends up looking a whole lot different.

It’s a bit of a leap of faith, but just in case you’re feeling a bit hesitant:

James 2:13 Yes, you must show mercy to others. If you do not show mercy, then God will not show mercy to you when he judges you. But the one who shows mercy can stand without fear before the Judge.

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.

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