Being a Lawn Man I have the benefit of spending most of my day behind a good pair of dark sunglasses. With my cap, earphones, and sunglasses I am easily disguised and can enjoy complete anonymity. Even my closest friends often don’t recognize me.
Another benefit of working behind a pair of sunglasses is that no one can see into my eyes. The shades can carefully conceal my pain and even tears. The windows to my very soul can be hidden from you. Like storm shutters they can be closed to the world. For me this has become my safe place.
Sunglasses are simply prisms or filters through which we can see the world. They come in many styles and shapes. Their tintings can be light colored or as dark as coal. In the same manner, the tinting through which we view the world can be either positive or negative. If my outlook is negative I might be feeling depressed, abandoned, tense, lonely, miserable, angry, frustrated, sad, irritated, or self conscious. On the other hand if my mood is positive, my view will likely be positive and hopeful. This optimism will probably stem from feelings of being fully loved, healed, accepted, protected, and heard. I’ll likely embrace the Sovereignty of God, expect that my powerful prayers are accepted and believe in the Truth of God’s Word.
SITTING WITH NEGATIVE FEELINGS:
A couple of days ago it had been one of those rare days in paradise when the sun remained hidden behind the clouds for far too long and everything seemed dark and gloomy. The morning coffee and the Aleve tablet I had taken to relieve the arthritic changes in my body due to the damp weather conditions hadn’t made much difference. I had confessed all my known sins and accepted His forgiveness. I had read and listened to God’s Word. Still, I wondered if I had truly allowed its truth to take root inside me? Soon I began to lift up a song of praise, (putting on my garment of Praise as the scriptures instructs.) True to His Word, the Lord received my sacrifice of praise and began to lift my spirit and meet me there in a special time of fellowship.
It’s on those gloomy days that I’ve really learned to make use of my sunglasses. Behind my shades I’m free to experience the sadness of life and not have it diminish my joy. I have learned from Dr. Jill Hubbard, (Co-Host of the popular radio Christian Counseling show “New Life Live”,) the importance of learning to “Sit -With” negative feelings. Instead of dismissing the uncomfortable feelings and emotions that arise, she challenges the listener to endure them for longer and longer periods of time. Does this sound painful? It is! But by taking time to do the hard work, one learns to grieve the loss and at the same time uncover what you can do to positively change the present circumstance. While this doesn’t come naturally to me I am learning to reap the benefits of taking the time for reflection and growth. Shira Tehrani puts it this way. “You can’t do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth.”
REMOVING THE SHADES:
Maybe it’s just the way I was raised or my outlook on life but I find myself always wanting to look at the positive side of life. It has become easy to dismiss uncomfortable thoughts or conversation topics like the economy or war. If I’m honest when things are going well for me I really don’t want to bring myself down and feel the pain of what you or someone else is going through. But, there come times in all our lives when the sunglasses have to come off. You have to remove the sunglasses (or life filters) to see into a person’s eyes and heart. When a customer wants to talk to me I always take my glasses off so that I can see into their eyes and they can see mine. Not only is it perceived a rude to speak to someone through sunglasses but it also puts another barrier between us. Often I can’t read well with my shades on and need to remove them for clarity and better perception. Since I’m so accustomed to having my sunglasses on I sometimes feel naked and venerable without them. But these days I’m asking God to help me to come out of the shadows and get a better perspective. I’m seeking His viewpoint or a hurting person’s assessment of a circumstance.
So do you like my shades? As a Landscaper, sunglasses are invaluable both to protect from the harness of sun rays but also from foreign objects which could damage my eye. The physical protection the shades offer is important but the emotional curtain to my soul and equally beneficial. Pray for me as I pray for you that we would both have the courage to sit with our unpleasant feelings long enough to allow the Lord to bring to the surface buried emotions that need to be healed and dealt with. I’m reminded of the Scripture found in James 1: 4. The Amplified version reads: “But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be (people) perfectly and fully developed (with no defects), lacking nothing.”
