I use coupons to save money on our grocery bill and as I was working on taking out all the expired coupons in my binder, I had trouble seeing the expiration dates. The print was too small or maybe the strength of my glasses needed to be adjusted!

I had to find the magnifying glass stored away in a junk drawer to help me see the fine print. I was able to finish organizing my coupon binder with the aid of that magnifying glass.

O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. Psalm 34:3

It later occurred to me that I sometimes have a tendency to pull out a different kind of magnifying glass. You know the kind, it’s invisible, yet it can be a harmful tool when used improperly.

How many times have we pulled out our invisible “magnifying glass” and used it on someone else’s faults, insignificant disappointments, words spoken to us or actions toward us and exaggerated the reality?

Guilty. I’ve done it on more than one occasion.

I recently took someone’s actions and questioned the motives of those actions until my husband reminded me that I did not know the full circumstances surrounding this person’s decisions.

Either I could seek out the reason and potentially harm the relationship, or I could reposition the magnifying glass onto the Lord. It wasn’t easy, but I chose to do the latter.

I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30

I chose to thank God for the relationship and all the blessings and positive things that were true. In the end, the Lord helped me to be more understanding, more accepting and to value the relationship.

Here’s a challenge for all of us. What are some good things happening in your life right now that you can use a “magnifying glass” to see how blessed you truly are? Is it your family, your job, your health, your finances, your friends? Maybe it’s all of these things.

But most of all, magnify the Lord in everything:

Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified. Psalm 70:4