Second Corinthians 5 says, “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God …”
Paul was speaking about the ministry of reconciliation. Anyone, no matter what their past mistakes are, could be born again. When this born-again experience happens, you see things differently. The Scripture said, “All things are of God.” Your vision changes. Even your dreams may change.
It becomes all about what does God wants for life. Suddenly, one wants to know, “Where do I fit in this giant puzzle of life?” When one truly is born again, all that person wants is what God wants. After this experience, one often drifts away from the zealousness with which they started this race.
Recently, I was staying at my dad’s in Atlanta. He has a beautiful living-room view. I snapped a picture with my smartphone just before I left for a ministers meeting. While I was gone, the window cracked on its own. The repairman came and I asked what happened? He said it is called spontaneous combustion. Basically, weather changes and multiple other reasons cause pressure. This pressure builds up between the double panes and the inside window, which is weaker than the outside one, usually shatters. I looked out a shattered window and the view was much more distorted, yet what was outside the window remained the same.
That often is how we see things in life. It starts out with a magnificent view. Then comes the pressure. The pressure of life changes our view. The outside remains the same, but the inside shatters. In our soul, the pressure has caused a spontaneous combustion. Everything appears OK to the flesh, but on the inside we are seeing things through a shattered life. We are now looking at our life through a shattered glass and no longer see our life as God sees it.
It is the daily grind, the day-in, day-out pressure. The cares of this life cause us to see things through a shattered lens. No longer do we see faith, hope and belief. We begin living every day in a mundane, melancholy way. This is caused by pressure.
What is pressure? Webster’s defines it as the burden on one’s emotional or mental well-being created by demands on one’s time. Has the burden on your emotional well-being created by the demands of your time caused a spontaneous combustion?  
Perhaps, God wants you to look at things from a different viewpoint. Quit looking through the shattered lens of life and see things how he sees them. His view hasn’t changed. Allow God to replace the shattered glass today with a new glass. He doesn’t want any of us to walk around without the emotional healing that we need.
Has the pressure of life caused a spontaneous combustion? If so, God has the answer.

Crutchfield is the pastor of Life United Pentecostal Church and a member of the United Ministerial Alliance.