Seeing Life Clearly - Martin Wiles

Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. 1 Corinthians 13:12 NLT

I wondered how she could consider what I’d just witnessed cleaning.

My grandmother loved broomstraw brooms. When the straw in the fields grew waist high, she’d gather enough for a broom, then bind it with bailing twine.

Most older folks used such brooms to sweep their grassless yards, but my grandmother used hers to sweep the house. When I asked why she didn’t use a stick broom, she said she liked broomstraw brooms better.

One day while she swept, the sun’s rays poured through the kitchen window and the screen door. I observed particles of dust rise in the air—so many that they created a haze in the kitchen. I could barely see, and I wondered how she considered this cleaning. The floor might be clean, but everything else had inches of dust on it.

Sometimes, life parrots my grandmother’s kitchen when she swept. Things are fuzzy, not understandable, and unpleasant. I want to sneeze, cough, or throw up. To my grandmother—who was accustomed to this type of sweeping—doing it that way seemed natural. To me, it appeared contradictory.

Paul knew about the unclearness of life. He certainly didn’t understand everything God allowed into his life. Those who attempted to undermine his teachings hounded his steps—trying to undo the gospel message he preached so they could replace it with legalism. Persecution in various forms was his almost constant companion. But he believed a day would come when God would clear things up.

A haze can dust life just as it did my grandmother’s kitchen. I don’t understand why things are happening—or why they are occurring the way they are. Sometimes the fuzziness takes over because I’m filtering events through prejudices, traditions, or misinterpretations of the teachings of God’s Word. I create the haze, as my grandmother did with her broomstraw broom. A regular dose of Bible reading can clear the fog.

At other times, God creates the haze and doesn’t tell me why. His ways are higher than mine and beyond my understanding. No amount of pleading or reading will bring understanding. This is when my faith must kick in. I keep going—sweeping—although I don’t understand. 

Knowing God controls life events and believing He loves, forgives, and accepts us can clear up the hazy days.

When haze governs your life, trust God’s love and wisdom.

Tweetable: What keeps you from seeing life clearly?

Prayer: Father, we walk by faith, trusting You know what is best for us. 

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