I hope you are having fun with this rehab project and you’ve made good headway over the last few weeks. Yet, it never fails that even the best-laid plans somehow always take longer than anticipated because, all too often, we uncover more issues that need to be addressed. 

If you’ve found that to be true, I want to encourage you, especially in light of what we are working on this week, not to turn a blind eye to anything that has come up. Listen. Stand at the crossroads and take an account. Ask where the good way is and walk in it (Jeremiah 6:16).

One thing I’ve learned over the years of walking with God and listening to His voice while standing at the crossroads, is that there’s never a wasted word. All His intentions are good and for a purpose. When He taps on your shoulder, or whispers in your ear, be still in the moment; give Him your full attention because you are standing on holy ground.

So with that in mind, let’s tackle our next task. We’ve done our due diligence to make sure the framing is in place, the foundation has been fixed, and the wiring is in position. The next step in our renovation is to install the windows.

In our verse for the week—Matthew 6:22; “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light”—the word ‘clear’ is translated in Greek as healthy, single, simple, and whole.

As it relates to our Life Rehab project, windows represent what we see. They are portals of perspective. Through them, we perceive and assess the world around us. And since windows are designed to be transparent, the outside world sees and assess us through them as well.

In addition, just below the surface of physical sight is our ability, as spiritual beings, to perceive the higher order of faith—the assurance of something we can’t actually see (Hebrews 11:1). It’s the ability to understand and discern things beyond our scope of experience.

Even so, over time and as a by-product of being human and living in a fallen world, our view can get tainted, clouded, impaired. And if we don’t get into the habit of cleaning our windows, we will become apathetic and indifferent to this higher order of sight.

So much of how we see and interpret life is determined by how we perceive it. Everything that comes in through the windows of our soul is consumed, digested, and then assimilated as part of our collective experience.

For instance, if we’ve been rejected, we tend to perceive incoming relationships from a guarded stance. If we’ve endured an unjust trauma, we tend to approach new experiences from a defensive position of skepticism.

And yet, those same experiences, if seen through the clear lens of faith by daily washing our windows with His Word, can alter our perception in such a way that it doesn’t cause us to cower in fear, or react in defensive aggression, but to stand firm knowing there is light to be found, to be seen, to be redeemed.

The quality of light we see is often a direct result of our habits. Whether we like it or not, habits tend to reflect what is in us. They can be intentional with a positive residual. Or they can be reactionary and rooted in an emotional response that leaves a wake of negativity.

Time for a quick reality check. Take a hard look at your habits and behaviors. What do you consume with your eyes, and even your ears on a consistent basis? Does this input inspire wellness? Or does it just taste good going in, feel good going down, then sour in your stomach like old milk?

I doubt you have to think too hard to come up with a few poor habits that need some cleaning up. We all have them. Some more innocuous than others. But if they are coming to mind, let’s examine them a moment.

What kind of fruit are they producing?

Do your habits hinder or help your view of the world? Do they hinder or help the world’s view of you?

If we are honest, most of us live in houses built with two-way mirrors, not windows. We want to see out; see others as they are. But we don’t want them to see us. Not the deep parts of us. The raw and real parts. And yet, it’s exactly those parts that make you, you. And me, me. It’s our most authentic place, and yet, we are desperate to pull the blinds and conceal what is seen.

Ask yourself if that is true of you? And if so, why? What habits need to be cleaned up for you to reflect the light inside you?

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth)” Ephesians 5:8-9.

Let’s make a choice today. Don’t invest your energy and time in habits that produce bad fruit—fruit that hinders your vision, and your ability to stand strong in the storms of this life. Be intentional. Clean up a bad habit by replacing it with a better one, more suited to reflect the light hidden deep inside you.

Reflect and Respond:

If you have to squint to see through your windows because they are tainted with the film of unhealthy habits, it might be time for a good window wash! Today, take account of what habits are hindering your view and start washing them through the Word. The only way to see clearly is to let God’s light shine through.

Hugs for a great week and remember, you are not alone. Be blessed and keep those windows clean.