The Rose Colored Mountain Range

Mountains are beautiful and each one is unique, like you, like me. Mountains can also be too large to conquer and offer all kinds of danger. But I have a tendency to see through Rose Colored Glasses so my vision is altered at times. I see the beautiful sunsets and tall trees and look not at the dangers before me. I have learned a lot; I just hope my vision hasn't been completely damaged in the process.

I don't know why I keep on believing you need me
When you've proved so many times that it ain't true
And I can't find one good reason for staying
Maybe by leaving would be the best for you

But these rose colored glasses
That I'm looking through
Show only the beauty
'Cause they hide all the truth

And they let me hold on to the good times, good lines
The ones I used to hear when I held you
And they keep me from feeling so cheated, defeated
When reflections in your eyes show me a fool

These rose colored glasses
That I'm looking through
Show only the beauty
'Cause they hide all the truth

So I just keep on hopin', believing
That maybe by counting the many times, I've tried
You'll believe me when I say, I love you
And I'll lay these rose colored glasses aside

These rose colored glasses
That I'm looking through
Show only the beauty
'Cause they hide all the truth

(Rose Colored Glasses by John Conlee)

This year I have learned that when someone tells you that they are not the kind of person you think they are, you should listen to them. They are likely a better of judge of their own character than you are. I fought that vision for months. I saw the inner workings of this man's heart through rose colored glasses but with each day my lenses were getting scratched and marred. At his core he is good, very good, tender, and sweet, but fear and doubt guided his path. His glasses were much too dark to walk the path he chooses and often misses the beauty before him. The dangers he saw were not as dark and gloomy as he perceived, whereas mine were not as rosy as they appeared to be. I knew what he wanted deep down and he knew it at times too. He confided in me and shared his own deep dark secrets. I have also learned that just because someone confesses things they once did, it doesn't mean they are immune from doing it again...none of us. We all make mistakes but some mistakes are avoidable with a little will power. Some mistakes are inevitable until we address the flaw in our character that makes us repeat offenders. 

Our own issues are like a mountain range full of dangers from falling rocks, false plateaus, steep cliffs, and horseshoe turns. The fact that I wear these Rose Colored Glasses causes me to be in harms way constantly. My daddy always said my Rose Colored Glasses were a permanent fixture. They remain on me today but I am learning how to lay these rose colored glasses aside.

The dangers of the falling rocks within our selves are the unavoidable dangers that happen to us. One can fall at any time, but we must keep in mind that we had been warned. There were signs along the way, but we journey on because "it won't happen to us". "He wouldn't do that to ME." We see only the beauty but hide all the truth. Falling rocks will always take you by surprise and you might be able to get out of harms way fast enough. I relate the falling rocks to the first verse of the song because of the denial of the danger and the ability to keep pressing forward:

I don't know why I keep on believing you need me

When you've proved so many times that it ain't true

And I can't find one good reason for staying

Maybe by leaving would be the best for you

The dangers of the false plateaus lie within the fact that it is difficult to detect their existence until you have reached it. This would be compared to the dreams of the future and leading someone to believe they are on the same page. It is much like telling another person all the plans you have for the rest of your lives TOGETHER then saying...nah, this may not be what I want. You will leave this person on a false plateau and worse than that you leave them alone. They have been lead to this place expecting a certain scenery then all the sudden the curtain raises....False plateaus remind me of this verse:

 And they let me hold on to the good times, good lines

The ones I used to hear when I held you

 And they keep me from feeling so cheated, defeated

 When reflections in your eyes show me a fool

The dangers of the steep cliffs are not always evident nor are you always warned. I have actually known someone who survived falling from a steep cliff. I relate the cliff to the wishy-washy person in your life. Sometimes there is a warning sometimes there is not. Sometimes there is protection from slipping off this cliff and sometimes there is not. A cliff is wishy-washy because it gets worn easily by the elements and the weather. One thing that is for certain, a cliff will lead to a very near death experience. I think this one relates to an entirely different song...George Jones, He Stopped Loving Her Today. I will save that for another post but I can tell you that day definitely hurts!


The dangers of the horseshoe turn is that you find yourself nearly right back where you started! You make it through the turn hoping not to lose cargo or slip off the path. There is always a sign warning about the approaching sharp turn. I lived off the devil's highway, (Hwy 666), when I lived in Arizona. This was a treacherous road and they warned truckers not to take it but often they would. If the trucks attempted the turns it would shut the entire highway down for a while. It was much too sharp for them. If they didn't make it, and many did not, then a life was usually lost. But see they always hoped and kept on believing that they could make it work so the horseshoe turn is much like the last verse of the song:

So I just keep on hopin', believing

That maybe by counting the many times, I've tried

You'll believe me when I say, I love you

And I'll lay these rose colored glasses aside

I sincerely hope that my vision remains clear and that I can make use of my rose colored glasses but also know when to lay them aside. The distorted vision from those beautiful glasses has ended up bringing a lot of heartache in my life. I now see that he never really fully loved himself so how could he have possibly loved me the way he proclaimed. (falling rocks) I now see that he wanted to give me all my heart desired but feared he couldn't do it, or live up (false plateau). I now see that he tried to warn me of the steep cliff but I pressed on. I also now see that I attempted the horseshoe turn and shut this highway to my heart down for a very long period. A life was lost; it was mine.

I hope that I never lose hope and that I will always believe the best in someone...until they prove otherwise. I pray for clear vision and that my heart will never stop smiling. The beautiful view provided by the Rose Colored Glasses is much like looking at someone and situations through the grace of Christ. You see only the beauty but He knows the truth.

On this I think I definitely had an Aha-Moment!
Love,
Chel