We have all had those days. One thing at the beginning of the day goes wrong, or puts you in a bad mood. Because of that one moment, everything bothers you and your frustration only continues building throughout the day. At the end of the day, when you get in the car thinking you can finally get home, lay down, and sleep. And then you’ll feel better, cheer up. Something will finally go right. So you’re just driving along. You make a turn and you misjudge the distance and speed of the car you pull out in front of. You accidentally cut him off.

This guy gets angry. You can already tell as he gets right up on your bumper. Then he swerves around you and speeds up. He cuts you off now. And then, through the tint of his back window, you can make out the silhouette of his raised finger. Then he revs his engine and runs the next red light. All out of anger towards you.

This, of course, bothers you. It would bother anyone. Its not your fault he was speeding. He overreacted. He was the idiot! And the dark thoughts flow as such. You already had a terrible day and this jerk has to go and make it all the worse. Your just trying to get home after a tough day, and people like that guy have to make it difficult. Right?

Well would you ever stop to think what his day might have been like? Maybe he just had a family argument. Or a loved one died. Maybe he broke up with his girlfriend. Went through a divorce. He lost his dog. He lost his job. He was cheated on. He was wrongly accused of something. Maybe he had the same day as you did. and he was just headed home, hoping something would finally go right. And some idiot had to pull out in front of him and cut him off. And it was the last straw. He broke. He overreacted. Because it all just came crashing down on him in that one moment, and he let his emotions take over, and he acted in a way that he usually avoided. Maybe, usually he’s a nice guy. Gets along with people well.

But these thoughts never occurred to you. You never considered his side. What was going on behind his tinted windows. You were too involved inside your own. In fact, do ever give any thought to any of the hundreds of people you’ve shared the road with? What they might be going through? Their days, lives, destinations, starting points? Ever?

We live in a world filled with people coming and going. Always moving, hardly stopping. And most people aren’t giving much thought to anyone else. You come so close to people, yet you don’t see them. You see eyes, mouths, hands, objects, actions, small details. You don’t hear them either. You listen to words, grunts, honks, shouts, indistinct noise. But you don’t see them for who they might really be. You don’t take the time to try and see what’s behind the tinted windows. You see someone who only lasts a moment. They will only exist in your life for a few moments. They pop into being and then go just as quickly. Never a spare thought given. I don’t claim to be any better. In fact this is based off of my own experience in the matter.

You may be asking at this point, why should I care about those other people. I don’t mean anything to them, so why should they mean anything to me? And that's a good point. But if you are going with that sort of argument, why should God care about us? We are like dust to Him. We are nothing. Small. Insignificant. He has no reason to pay any attention to us. None at all. He created us, yet we forsook Him. And despite that He still cares about us. Looks through tinted windows to find us. To see us, and to know us.

On my way to school one day, quite awhile ago now, I stopped at a red light. And I was alone in the car, so i was singing my heart out along with the radio. Like all out singing. And I looked out the window to see and man waiting for the bus. And he was watching me with a smile on his face. I had amused him with my singing. Embarrassed, I immediately stopped, head down. He frowned. And our eyes met, and he mouthed something. “Don’t stop.” And he smiled again. And I smiled back. He saw through my tint. He saw me. For a brief moment, we saw each other. And it was that interaction that prompted me to write this.

I think it’s important that we learn to reach out to each other. To try and think about what could be going on behind the tinted windows we drive by. That maybe that person on the phone has a good reason to risk being distracted like that while driving. That maybe the driver of that slow car you just sped past is going through a difficult period in their life. That the kid in the sports car isn’t speeding because he’s a delinquent, but because his best friend just got in an accident and he wants to be there for him. That the girl texting at the red light is trying to apologize to her mother.

We tend to think of the other people on the road as the cars they drive. But behind the tint they are real people with real lives and problems. No one’s life is perfect, no matter how well off they may seem. There is always some kind of problem hidden behind tinted windows. Now I’m not saying that everyone on the road is going through some kind of dramatic scene. There are some jerks out there. What I am trying to say is, don’t let your mind always immediately assume that they’re a jerk. At least consider what kind of day they might have had. That it might possibly have been worse than yours, possibly. Just a thought.

Also, take some time at the next red light you come to to look around at the people around you. You might see something you don’t expect. The couple in the car to the left of you are fighting. The girl in the van on your right is crying. The guy in the truck behind you is almost falling asleep. The mother in the van in front of you is trying to calm down her baby, and that's why she didn’t go right away when the light turned green. And maybe then you can restrain yourself from honking at her. That that might make her more flustered. You could save her some extra frustration.

This doesn't have to be restricted only to when we drive. The tinted window is a metaphor. We all hide behind tinted windows. Everyday we roll up tinted windows that hide something or other from the rest of the world as we drive through life. We hide that we’re hurting, most of the time. And that makes us withdraw from others. But when we take a moment to consider others, if we stare hard enough, we can see through their tint and think of someone else for a bit. And try in whatever little way we can to make it a little better. Even if we might never see them again, a little action can leave a big impression. Like a smile. Or two mouthed words: “Don’t stop.”

Keep going.