I feel that too often we walk around with our tinted lenses on. Yea, it is sunny outside so sunglasses are a must, but that's not what I am referring to. We tend to view the world with tinted perspectives. We see things the way we want to: faded and skewed. We choose to avoid seeing things the way they really are, because who would intentionally want to see the bad in the world?

Why is it that all the things that we find breathtakingly beautiful are the things that are utterly raw and natural? We see a sunset over a lake, a canyon of color, a new life being brought into the world. All of these are awestruck wonders, and we are shown the image of God through each of them. It is because God doesn't wear tinted lenses. God sees things for how they are meant to be seen. There is an intense amount of sin in this world and God continues to look into each one of us and say "wow, my child is beautiful."

Something that I find comforting is that, in those short moments of seeing the raw and natural beauty, we have a slight glimpse of how God sees us, even with all of our constant sin. I just think that is so cool.

With these lenses, we choose to ignore things we should take into consideration. We choose oblivion when we are in a tough situation to avoid hurting others feelings or making a difficult decision. These lenses are a disguise for the things we don't want to see or do.

Take the lenses off, see the world for how it really is. The bad is what makes the good worth appreciating. The pain is what makes those who comfort you so important. The ugly sin is what makes God's forgiveness so powerful. We can view the world with our tinted lenses on, but what are we really seeing?