The Lens of Love Part 2

Today’s post takes place two weeks after the events of the previous entry, The Lens of Love Part 1 (please read it if you haven’t already). On this particular Sunday, as I sometimes do after church, I went to breakfast with a friend. At the restaurant before leaving, I had a frustrating encounter that I was still thinking about as I drove to run errands.

My first stop was the eyeglass store to pick up my new prescription sunglasses. Inside the store, I was greeted by a young lady who assisted me. When she asked if I wanted to try them on, I was curt with her, just wanting to get the shades and leave. When I got to the car, I put on my brand-new lenses. As I sat there looking in the mirror, the Holy Spirit convicted me about my discourteous behavior. “Who was that?!” It was as if I did not even recognize myself in the store. I went back into the store and asked the young lady her name. I apologized to her for my behavior. Her response to me was, “That’s OK. I’m used to it!” My heart sank! I explained to her that I had let the earlier incident affect my demeanor and that it was inexcusable. I told her the Lord had me return to the store because He cares about us. As her eyes welled up with tears, she hugged and thanked me.

I am accustomed to the Lord teaching me through practical experiences. This day, the lesson was literal! I had switched from my old sunglasses to a brand-new pair with new lenses! In addition, He helped me sort through my feelings about the incident at the restaurant earlier and forgive the person who caused the frustration. It is important for me to detail these events because the Lord showed me how the enemy can use trivial matters to influence our minds and moods. Spiritually, I had replaced the lenses of frustration with those of repentance and forgiveness, which is the only way to experience love and life!

1 John 4:7-10
Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.