Life: An adventure, a journey with Jesus
Looking out the windows at Hope House, Jicamarca, Lima Peru.....

I'm blogging today, quite frankly, because I have the time and I'm not sure what tomorrow may bring. I have found it easier to remember to write once a week, than it was when I was adding our newsletter once a month. I trust you visit the blog often to hear news shared here that we do not share anywhere else. Read on and enjoy!

As Don and I sat in the living room of the Bonner’s home at Hope House, during the day we noticed that the windows in the home are tinted, and they are one-way windows, meaning you can see out but one cannot see in from the outside! You’ve all seen them. They appear to be mirrors on the outside, but they let diffused light in and those inside can see all that’s happening outside. Passersby have no idea whether they are being watched or not. It’s considered a safety feature as well, because the privacy of the dwelling is assured.

Our lives are like those one-way windows. People cannot really see into our lives. Our inside thoughts are very private and passersby have no idea what we are really all about. There is a danger in having one-way windows in our lives and the measure of safety that those windows offer in a building, is just the opposite in us as individuals. You see, transparency is our safety! The Lord can use us when we are transparent. Others can learn from us when we are transparent. They may learn what is good about us, or what is not on target in our lives! Transparency can often times help us be accountable. We know we are being watched! With that in mind, I have to ask, “how transparent am I?” and, “what need have I for one-way windows?” Don and I discussed the windows of our lives. Hopefully you will give this some thought as well.

During the late afternoon today, with the sun and clouds in the sky, the mountain ranges visible from the Bonner’s living room seem to change color over a short period of time. There are more hues of brown and grey than I ever imagined. The shadows playing on the hills provided an on-going change of scenery as we took it all in. And later, in the early evening we were looking out the windows to the hillsides where the sunset and the beautiful shades of grey and black that seem to arise out of nowhere provided us with a surprise never expected. Natural beauty! During the day, sometimes the hills are dry, barren, dusty and rocky; not much to admire. But this evening they were beautiful, for a very short period of time. We were fortunate enough to pause and catch that 15 minute span of time.

We recognize the Master of Creativity brings us moments such as this time to remind us of Who He is. They may last for a season of many months, or as short as a moment in time. What we discussed was the changing scenery right before our very eyes that we would miss if we were not taking time to see and enjoy our surroundings. “The Lord, God, HE is the maker of all” it says in both Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Imagine that, even the things that may not be eye appealing to us, was important enough for our Father to create as He did.

We were able to stop and think about some of the dry seasons in our lives. During those times we were not focusing on the Father, or what He was doing, and changing, and giving us at that particular time. The time could easily be described as unappealing. Yet, it was important enough for our Father to allow us that season to show Himself to us.