The world around us is falling apart. But the problem isn’t me. Chances are, it isn’t you, either. At least that’s what research says.



According to the AEI Survey on Community and Society, 43 percent of Americans do not believe things are going well in the nation. But when we get closer to home, Americans are a bit more prideful. Seventy-three percent of Americans are satisfied with the way things are going in their communities.

The research follows the pattern of other surveys, including a survey where people overwhelmingly believed their marriages were strong while marriages everywhere else are falling apart.



For me, perspective is often the hardest thing to gain in life. Small things can feel immense. Large movements in the world can go unnoticed. Many times, life simply becomes about me. What do I want? What can I get? What do I think?



And that’s when I get in trouble. When life becomes about me, it’s easy to believe I have all the answers. It’s easy to judge others. It’s easy to put myself in the place of God as the one who knows best.

The saddest part about this is I don’t even realize when it’s happening. I see everything “so clearly.” All without seeing the plank in my eye.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. –Matthew 7:3-5

I pray this week, each of us see the world through God’s eyes in the wake of the resurrection. May we see each other as God sees us, looking for opportunities to share his love and encourage people in faith.



Let us see the world differently this week, so we can make it different for eternity.