I took this photo of a Praying Mantis at my house the other day. I'm kind of fascinated with them.
When you look at this photo, what do you see? A bug? An ugly bug that needs to be killed? A future horror film star? Something alien? Something scary? Hmmmmm.... I'll come back to our buggy friend here in a minute.
"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are. What you see and hear depends a great deal on where you are standing; it also depends on what sort of person you are." C.S. Lewis
"Life is only a reflection of what we allow ourselves to see."
"What we see depends mainly what we look for."
"Whether you look for the negative or you look for the positive.... you'll find what you are looking for."
This summer we had an opportunity to spend the day in a portion of Provence France. In my mind, I pictured fields upon fields of Lavender. I could almost smell the Lavender as I focused on how amazing the view was going to be. I had pictures in my head of seeing the weathered sun drenched smiling faces of the locals. Of saying beautiful phrases like "Bonjour" and "Merci" and just everything else that I had perceived as Provincially French. Immediately I was taken aback by the country side. It was different than I had pictured it. It was mountainous and looked a little on the dry side. As we drove around, I didn't see one Lavender filled field (say that three times fast). I started to be a little disappointed. And I even found myself starting to find fault with our tour, tour guide, etc.... But then, I heard someone else on the bus exclaim, "I can't believe we are in France! Just look at the gorgeous countryside! Look at the wildflowers growing!" We were both looking at the same landscape.
"When you look at a field of dandelions you can either see a hundred weeds or a hundred wishes."
"Change the way you see things and the things you see will change."
"So much in life depends on our attitude. The way we chose to see things and respond to others makes all the difference."
That one comment by a stranger made me open my eyes. I was sitting there, mumbling because things looked differently than I had imagined. It wasn't living up to my expectations. But, while I was busy looking for fault, I was missing out on the the true beauty all around me. And when I began to look for the beauty, it was everywhere! From the craggy rocks to the wildflowers to the beautiful Mediterranean sea. And, although I didn't smell Lavender, I could smell the amazing scent of the wildflowers, the saltiness of the the sea, and the luscious smell of French pastries (YUM). And, once I let go of my ingratitude and grumpy thoughts I began to enjoy the process of discovering a new place, with new people, and new experiences. I began to see the value of where I was and what I was doing. And WOW, what an experience!
"The wiser you get, the more experience you have, and the more you see people for who they are as human beings, as opposed to figures you have to fight."
"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7
"Look for the beauty in others."
"Even when everyone else sees our faults, God sees our possibilities."
Recently I have watched as people have expressed their political viewpoints on T.V., press, and social media. I believe people have the right to express themselves. I even think a good, calm debate about issues can be enlightening. However, I am disturbed by the judgmental, harsh, and mean statements that people are making towards each other.
Instead of looking at the the other person as a human being first, they are viewing them through political affiliation/beliefs. And then using that as a means to demean and attack them. In fact, I have watched as other Christians turn and attack each other. What in the world are we doing?
I am reminded of the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus found in Luke 19. Now, you need to know something about Zacchaeus to truly appreciate this story. He was not what we would consider a "good" person. In fact, his political and moral viewpoints were probably the direct opposite of what Jesus preached about. He was small in stature--probably not considered handsome. Not only was he a tax collector for the Roman government, he was the Head Tax collector. You have to understand that many people of the day, particularly the Jewish people, where heavily and unfairly taxed by the government. He had become wealthy off of others misfortune. He was the epitome of all the oppression of the Roman Government. He was a Jew who had turned his back on his own people, culture, and probably religion. He held the authority to demand unreasonable payments and to dole out punishment if he so chose. On the outside, there was nothing redeemable about this man. Even on the inside, deep within, there probably was little that we would call redeemable about him.
Most people wouldn't give Zacchaeus the time of day. My guess is that they never had a kind word to say about him or to him. But, Jesus stopped for this man and wanted to have dinner with him. Of course, the people immediately began verbally attacking Zacchaeus. I'm sure they said things like, "You know he affiliates with the Roman Government. He has no morals. You know he has turned his back on Jewish law/religion. You know he's a crook." And on and on.
And oh, I'm sure that Zacchaeus is so thankful that Jesus had a different vision of him. Jesus didn't look at his political affiliation. Jesus didn't look at his outward appearance. Jesus looked at Zacchaeus as one of God's created. Precious. Someone that He valued so much that He was willing to give His life on a cross for him.
And here is the most amazing part of the story, Jesus, looking at Zacchaeus, and knowing every intimate detail of his life, didn't scold him. Jesus didn't sit there and tell him about all the ways he was unworthy or wrong. He didn't even point out his sins. Instead here is what Jesus said,
"Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost." Luke 19:9-10
Now, Zacchaeus did stand up and start to do what was right. It's interesting that at this moment, he chose to make amends. I'm sure that he had argued with others in the past about his actions. I'm sure many people had pointed out to him the error of his ways. But all of those arguments hadn't caused a change in him. So what do think caused him to change? I would argue it was coming face to face with someone who looked on him with love. Jesus looked at him as a person, first. All the other stuff was just peripheral. And, not only did Jesus look at him with love, but he talked to him with love and compassion.
"Blessed are those who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing."
"Never miss and opportunity to see something beautiful."
"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it."
So we are back to my beautiful little buggy friend. And I'm going to share with you a few things about the Praying Mantis which might change the way you look at them.
They have 2 large compound eyes and 3 simple eyes. They can see things in color. Their head can turn 180 degrees.
The adults have wings and can fly from one plant to another. They will often sway their bodies to mimic the way a plant moves in the breeze.
They are predators. They eat other bugs, especially some of the bugs that you don't want living on your plants. They only live for one year.
You may never like them, but I love the Praying Mantis. I see past their weirdly alien appearance and instead see a partner who helps keep off all the other bugs who wish to eat my lovely plants.
My final thoughts for today would be to change the way you see others. Look past your differences and see all of the things you have in common. The biggest thing to remember is that Jesus laid down his life for everyone! Speak to each other as Jesus would. Remove the sharpness and judgement from your voice and instead speak with kindness and love. It is better to be kind than to be right. Change your viewpoint. And, look for the beauty all around you.
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