Olivia and the God Goggles

After the last post, this one seems to follow naturally. I can't remember where I first heard the term "God Goggles," but I know that I didn't come up with it. Someone said it and I've decided to use it. Every morning as I drop the carpool kids off at school, I say, "Put on your God Goggles" or "Don't forget your God Goggles." Being that we have new kids in the carpool, I've had to explain what this means.

I can't remember if it has been one or two years ago, but one day Olivia came home from school not her normal yippee self. She seemed bothered. For my effervescent always giggling and smiling child, I knew something was wrong. I asked her why she was blue. She then relayed a story about a little boy in her class that wasn't very nice. He didn't listen in class or follow the rules. He spoke out of turn and picked on her. She basically had nothing nice to say about him. I tried to ask her question that might lead her to see some of his positive attributes, but nothing seemed to work.

Then I remembered the "God Goggles." I told her that when she went to school the next day, she should wear her God Goggles. She looked at me with confusion. She didn't want to wear anything on her face. Someone might make fun of her. I explained that God Goggles simply let her see through God's eyes. If she could see this little boy as God sees him, then maybe she could find his good qualities. I told her that as she walked into class she could put on her imaginary God Goggles and ask God to show her this little boy and other things throughout her day through His eyes. She smiled that wonderful Olivia smile, giggled and said that she would try it.

As she got out of the car the next morning, I reminded her to put on her God Goggles. She smiled and said that she would. When she got home from school that afternoon, I couldn't wait to hear how the God Goggles had worked for her. She came bouncing through the door with the smile that she is known for. I anxiously asked what she saw through her God Goggles when she looked at this little boy. She said that the good thing about him was he had on a cute shirt. I asked wasn't there anything else good about him. She said nope and skipped off to play.

Not exactly what I was hoping for, but it was a step in the right direction. Over the course over the school year, she would relay more positive stories about the little boy from time to time. Whether she was wearing God Goggles or not, I don't know. What I do know is that we all need to wear our God Goggles everyday in every situation. I know easier said than done, but maybe in the more difficult ones we can stop and slip them on and see how God would evaluate the scene.

Some days I just seem to have them strapped on and other days they are nowhere to be found. Maybe Thursday when we ran into man #1, I had on my God Goggles. Who knows? But like anything I'm a work in progress and very far from perfection. So as you go out into your day, "Don't forget your God Goggles!"