Windows are intriguing things. Think about it, windows are pretty humble. A really great window is one which never wants to be looked at, never wants to be noticed, and never wants any attention. A really great window is looked straight through. A really great window clearly shows what is on the other side of it, without getting in the way. Although not all windows are humble. Stained-glass windows for example, they are never looked through. A stained glass window is always drawing attention to itself, to its broken shards of glass. As Christians what type of windows are we?
As a Christian I am called to show Christ to others. I am to be a window of sorts. A window through which Christ is revealed. It is tempting to be a stained-glass window. Often times I want people to look at my life and see what Christ is like. I try to order the broken pieces of my life in such a way as to create an image of Christ. The problem with this is that people only see me. They see my broken pieces, even if they are beautifully placed together. They do not actually see Christ, they only seen an image of Christ. Even if Christ is really behind my life, all that will be seen is his shadow through the colorful glass. As a stained-glass window I draw attention to myself and become a barrier between others and Christ.
I should desire to be a standard window. A window which people look at and see Christ. My life should be transparent, not so people are looking at me, but so that people see Christ. I desire that people see right past me into the face of our Lord. To do this I must ask myself why I do the things I do. Do I do them so that others look at me or so that others look at Christ. Am I concerned more with my reputation, or the reputation of Christ. I need to ask if I am acting in such a way as to draw attention to myself or through myself.
I pray that we and our church leaders would desire to be standard windows and not stained-glass windows. Transparency should not be the revealing of my inner thoughts, secrets and skeletons in my closet but it should be the revealing of Christ through my life.
When the gospel is presented what is being presented? So often, in hopes of seeing people enter the Kingdom of God, "altar calls" simply present a decision to get out of hell. Or, to look at it from a more positive perspective, people are given the chance to "accept Jesus" so that they can go to heaven. 
As a pastor I am often asked to pray for people. People come to me with requests to pray for illnesses of themselves and their family, financial hardships, difficulty with family, spiritual guidance and the list could go on . . . and on. As you can imagine I spend a lot of time praying, not just for other's prayer requests, but also for my own. All this praying is good, however while teaching on the Trinity at a youth conference recently it occurred to me that one of the most important things to pray for is often overlooked.
Windows are intriguing things. Think about it, windows are pretty humble. A really great window is one which never wants to be looked at, never wants to be noticed, and never wants any attention. A really great window is looked straight through. A really great window clearly shows what is on the other side of it, without getting in the way. Although not all windows are humble. Stained-glass windows for example, they are never looked through. A stained glass window is always drawing attention to itself, to its broken shards of glass. As Christians what type of windows are we?
