Through A Dirty Glass

I was coming home on my motorcycle from a consulting job one day a few months ago.
I had left my sunglasses behind so I had to pull down my helmet shield to protect my eyes.

Now I've been riding for almost 5 years and my helmet shield has taken a beating.
Between the scratches and the smashed and baked bugs, I can hardly see out.
Usually it's not a problem because I wear sunglasses or sometimes when it's too cold I'll pull it down.

I was still a few miles from home when I just couldn't take the haziness anymore.
I reached up and pulled the shield back and the clarity startled me.
Everything was so crystal clear!
It was a clear day. The sun was out. The sky was blue.
The wind was in my face (and you know how I feel about that).

Immediately this verse came to mind:

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:
now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

As I've mentioned before, I am a blessed pilgrim.
I've never had to deal with major tragedy.
I think of my friends in Georgia and in Longwood who had to deal with the loss of a young son and my heart aches.
I think of my friend Ken who recently ended his pilgrimage and his battle with cancer.
They're all home now rejoicing with their Creator.

My best friend is thinking of being a foster parent to one of his son's friends.
His father abandoned them when he was two and his mother then abandoned the boy when he was 13.

You see things like this and you have so many questions.
So much pain, so much suffering.

We can take comfort in knowing that one day the shield will be pulled back and many of our questions will be answered.
Many of the things we don't understand will be made clear.
Crystal clear.