God-Colored Glasses

"Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's." -Matthew 16:23

Booyah! This was part of my reading tonight and it was pretty impactful on so many reasons. First, what a bad-A Jesus was. Can I say that?! Anyway...He didn't sugarcoat anything. Even Peter, this man that He just said He would build His church upon wasn't immune to it. But what really got me was Jesus' referral that Peter was a stumbling block to God's interests. Peter meant well, I think, as we all do. He probably wanted to prove to Christ that he was willing to do whatever it took to protect Him, but that wasn't what Christ was looking for. More than His own life, He wanted God's will to be done on earth. 

Applying that to my own life, I think about how many times I unintentionally (and, let's face it sometimes intentionally) prevent God from doing His will in my life. Are the decisions I make for my purpose or for His? Am I truly seeking Him in each and every decision that I make? Or am I looking to make the choice that benefits me most? It's probably whatever is easiest. When did His call become easy? When was I called to be selfish?! My prayer tonight for my life was to see the world through God-colored glasses. (Lame, I know, but it's in reference to the phrase rose-colored glasses...whatever!) I want to be able to see each choice as being made to impact His Kingdom most. I wanna be able to serve those in need. I want to reach out to the unreachable, either directly or indirectly. I want my heart to break for what breaks His. 

For me, I think it starts in my classroom. I want to prepare the generations. I want to instill in them the sense that He is their King and each breath they take should be an witness account of who He is in their lives. I want to teach them now what I am still learning so much later in life. But first I need to see them through God-colored glasses. I need to do what's best for them and show them Christ's love through everything I do. Whether I'm teaching them the day's lesson (we're learning our times tables!), disciplining them (what?! never!), or playing soccer at recess (one of the joys of my day!), I need to be Jesus for them. I might be the only way they get to see Him. What exactly are they seeing?!  That's a huge responsibility I have.