Through the eyes of Love

I feel so cynical sometimes.

Do you ever get that feeling? It usually happens to me right around the time that I have been doing too much. I start to get judgmental and start to see people in a more negative light. It also happens more when I set expectations up for myself and the people around me, and then get upset when they don’t meet those expectations. How fair is it to them, especially when they don’t know that I have done this.

A friend of mine texted me one last week and said “hey let’s have dinner tomorrow night!” We met up at an Italian restaurant and proceeded for the following two hours to talk and eat. We talked about family and life in general. We didn’t try and solve life’s problems we just talked about them and got ourselves out of the tunnel vision life we were in. I didn’t realize until that point that I had been drowning in the worries that were in the back of my mind, the overwhelming schedule that I had had, and that I just didn’t get out enough with my friends. That night I was able to breath and take a step back from the judging and the cynicism and just enjoy. Two and a half hours later, the waitress we had was even getting into the conversation, we laughed, we cried a little and then when my friend left the table for a little bit I slipped the waitress the money for the meal because even though my friend didn’t know this she helped me out of my funk.

To be honest I would love to bottle up that feeling of just letting go, and just being in the moment but I think instead I could get that same feeling if I were just to look at people and treat people as if they were all my closest friends. What if instead of the judgement we changed our focus and saw the actions of people as simply them trying to do the best they can do in the moment and circumstances that they are in? This is a hard pill to swallow. We are so used to assuming the worst in those we encounter, and sometimes it is because we feel we have good reason to do this.

When Jesus was with us on this earth He would be surrounded by every day average people, but there would also be the sick, the people with questionable jobs and backgrounds, the outcasts. He had eyes of love and compassion for the people. Yes He would tell them to repent to turn away from the bad they were doing but He also healed them and listened to them. Oh how our world would be different if we tried to see people’s hearts, if we tried to love and respect each other. It gets so tiring trying to fit people into boxes that we have made for them.

I am so guilty of this, I want people the way I want them! If they just fit into the picture and expectations I have for them life would so much better. Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! People are who they are because of the experiences and trials they have had in their lives. I am surprised all the time by people who I have judged one way to actually be totally different. Think of the person that dresses a certain way but once you start talking to them they are so different than what their appearance would say. Think of the group of people that always gets a bad rap but then it ends up only being a select few that have caused the stir in the first place.

Rose colored glasses are said to be used as a joke, but what if we actually had special glasses that we used to look at people. We would be able to look past the appearance and the walls that were put up and see the real person inside. What would happen if we looked at ourselves with those same glasses. When we are our own worst critics, we so easily criticize those around us to make ourselves feel better. Replace criticism with hope, even joy and we will see a change in our outlook on life and others. Until next time:

And suddenly you just know, it’s time to start something new, and trust the magic of happiness and joy.