Cracks in the Window

"If you look at a window, you see flyspecks, dust, 

the crack where Junior's Frisbee hit it. 

If you look through a window, you see the world."

Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking

There is this crack in our kitchen window, 

from a bb gun gone awry. 

There were days I saw that crack 

with every glance through the window. 

Lately, I am getting better at looking through it-- 

to the beauty that is our yard.

All of life is like that window. 

People, places, circumstances--

cracks in every one. 

There was a time that I analyzed

the specks and cracks in everything. 

I wanted them all to be fixed.

Somehow I thought if we all lived a

certain way, well, there should be no cracks.

If I could get a little more control over things,

 my life would be less effected by them.

When you are focused on specks and cracks,

you will definitely see them--everywhere.

Today I am even more aware 

of all that mars the windows, 

but I have gotten better at looking past them. 

Maybe because I have gotten better 

at looking past some of my own. 

Sometimes you just have to quit

staring at things.

There is beauty to be found

as we look through the windows.

As we determine to look through things

rather than at them, our perspective changes.

As we focus more on trusting Him,

we are better able to let go of our need

to remove the specks and fix all the cracks--

especially the ones we see in others.

I am pretty sure Jesus had 

something to say about all that.

I want to get better at seeing 

the beauty that is all around me.

It's a perspective framed 
a little bit more by love.