On the Inside

Most mornings after all my family members have departed for their respective destinations, I sit in my living room chair and read my scriptures and an Ensign article while the sun streams in my big front window. It is a very pleasant part of my day, except for the fact that this window really needs to be washed. It is covered with dust and smudges and all manner of debris that interferes with my view. Each morning I lament to myself the fact that I live in Arizona with its dust storms that are extremely hard on windows. This morning I finally decided that I needed to quit mentally complaining and do something about the problem. I filled a bucket full of warm water and vinegar and headed outside to tackle the task. I was curious how many times I would have to empty the bucket and refill it with clean water to get rid of all the dirt. I washed and wiped and washed and wiped and washed and wiped some more. I was a little surprised that even though I was working really hard the windows weren't looking that much cleaner and my water really wasn't getting that dirty. Finally I realized that the majority of the problem wasn't on the outside part of the window, but rather on the inside. I finished up outside and went inside to see what I could accomplish. It was amazing how almost immediately the view was so much clearer. I started thinking about how this experience might apply to my life. How often do I perceive my "messes" as being on the outside? Someone else is the problem and if I could just get rid of that outside interference everything would be so much better. However, considering what I realized this morning, I wonder if perhaps the biggest problem might not actually be an internal one. Maybe if I started with myself and got rid of the dust and dirt and smudges on the inside, within myself, my vision and my life would immediately improve. It's something worth thinking about.