The view from my window

Castle windows are not your run-of-the-mill glass inset into walls to bring in light.  That picture above, which we snapped at the beautiful castle of Bauska, Latvia, this June, is a great example. You immediately feel that warm sun and enjoy the castle views outside. The window itself is striking.

And from our lives? Our spirit looks out from our 'castle' home, our lives, if you think about it.

Is the weather unbearable?  We close that window and draw the curtain too, especially during the heat wave!

So, are we blocking out the heat and storms of our lives, or letting them in?  Every newscast is full of bad 'weather' news, and I find that I often open my life, dwelling on the worst, and hear it over and over. Disaster. Crime. Corruption.

Something tragic happens in our lives?  We keep it before us, glaring like any hot summer sun and baking our brains with all the 'heat'.

This is not about being concerned.  It's about protecting ourselves from the effects of that perpetual 'heat' upon our spirits.

The same is true with the windows in winter.  Would we depend on the sun's heat coming through windows to warm our homes during the coldest winter days?  Without robust solar systems in place, naturally, it would not be enough.

Yet, during the harsh, cold days-- loss, pain, and all the worst-- we seek warmth for our souls in things that cannot bring it. You know the things: distractions, busyness, and looking outside at a passing 'suns' that everyday life brings to our window to the world in abundance.  These things do not fulfill our longing for warmth within. Soul warmth, the kind that matters.

Grimy glass doesn't help you see that view either. That is our fault if that be the case.  

What about that view? I just learned that our brain is constantly filtering out all sorts of things around us and only bringing us what we look for, what we believe.

  Sound familiar?  We do the same online.

In light of all this, how right Jesus was:

What we hold in our 'view', what we 'have' in mind, will be given to us.  Even our brain is wired that way.  So don't go telling yourself you are worthless, and then believe what your brain starts pouring out to prove it true through that window that your view brings you!

What to do instead? Look out, see His love for you, your family, and your well-being!  It takes belief; it takes searching for it. And THAT is what Christ has been telling us all along!

Own photo, June 2026.