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When I was very young, I found a pair of very special glasses. Little did I know, at least at first, that they were magical glasses. When I wore them, I saw things… differently.

My first hint that there was something special about these glasses came when I was seven years old. I was wearing the glasses while playing baseball with my friends. Our team was losing but only needed two runs to win. With one runner on base and two outs I came up to bat. I hit a ball very deep to the outfield. I watched as the ball went over the line for a game-winning home run. No one else seemed to see it that way though. The other team insisted that their outfielder had caught the ball and that I was out. I saw a win for my team. They saw a win for their team. My teammates wanted to see it my way and so we could not agree on who won the game.

Years later, while wearing the glasses, I saw myself getting all kinds of good grades. I aced tests, turned in all my homework, and paid full attention in class. One day, my teacher took my glasses off and accused me of stealing other people’s homework and cheating. The evidence was pretty clear that I did, but I didn’t want to see it that way, so I put the glasses back on.

Around the time I graduated from high school I had a number of jobs where I had access to money, candy, and other valuables. I wore my glasses to work a lot and, as far as I could see, was entitled to some of these things as compensation for my low pay. Although my employers never knew that I was taking things, my close friends sometimes did. Every once in a while they would accuse me of stealing or embezzlement. I didn’t want to see it that way though, so I kept my glasses on tight.

Later in life, I got involved with a young girl that I eventually married. I loved her so much that I always favored her needs over mine. She got the best seats in movie theaters and airplanes, we saw the movies she wanted to see, and I always complimented her on her menu selections. Or at least that’s how I saw it. She saw me as controlling and belittling. One day, I took off my special glasses and reflected on the situation. In that moment I thought that she might perhaps be seeing things more clearly than I. That’s when I started doubting the glasses.

Eventually, my marriage to the young girl came to an end and we found ourselves in court. I wore my special glasses a lot during that time. I saw myself as being nearly faultless. She, on the contrary, was to blame for nearly everything. Interestingly, she wore similar glasses at that time and saw things almost as exact opposites of how I saw them. The judge wore no such glasses though and made various rulings that were contrary to both our points of view. Before the case was completely settled though, a wise voice told me to take the glasses off. Believe me when I tell you that I did not want to. Nothing in me wanted to find fault in myself and, similarly, I was unwilling to see her in a positive light. Alas, I did take the glasses off eventually and began seeing things very differently. It was painful at first. My eyes ached as I looked at my own brokenness. When I looked at her, I wanted to see an evil adversary, but I didn’t. I saw an equally broken person, someone not entirely unlike myself.

Today, I still have those special glasses. For obvious reasons, I try to keep them tucked away. I try to always see things as they are: broken but fixable. Occasionally, I find myself wearing them. They make me feel good about myself for a while, usually at the expense of others. It’s a tough battle to keep them off, but God is helping me.