I need glasses. The eye doctor confirmed that several weeks ago. I have been using some reading glasses periodically, but I think this week I am taking my prescription to a lens grinder and letting him make a spectacle of me!
Other than the discomfort of having my eyes dilated, the eye exam was a trip. They put that spacey looking thing in front of me and asked me to read the eye chart. I found out that the Doctor’s assistant doesn’t have much of a sense of humor. She didn’t laugh when I asked “What chart?”
As I looked at the chart she tried various types and strengths of lenses to see which helped me see more clearly. Through trial and error (mostly error), she determined just what type of eye glasses I need to see the world they way it really is – no more guessing, no more fuzzy focus, but clear.
In the bigger picture, we view life through a chosen lens of understanding and presupposition as well. All of us choose the standard by which we determine, interpret, and apply the reality all around us. Some view life through rose colored lenses. They live their life in denial of what is really going on around them and pretend as though everything is just perfect. Still others view life through the lenses of skepticism, never trusting anyone, believing anything, or expecting much at all positive out of life. Some view life through the lenses of pessimism, always seeing what is wrong, bad, or negative, and failing to recognize or admit anything good or beneficial. The most myopic of all are those who view life only through the lenses of self-focus. All they ever see is what is in it for them, what they want, what they like, what they prefer. These are the people with the most serious form of “I” disease.
Through the healing stripes of Jesus Christ, we are not doomed to always view life through such insufficient lenses. For the believer we can live by faith rather than sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Walking by faith means that we choose to view our lives from a spiritual perspective rather than an empirical one. Faith moves us through the realm of the unseen, and turns positive possibilities into reachable realities (Hebrews 11:1).
We can choose to view reality, make decisions, understand our existence in light of what God is doing and what He wants to accomplish rather than through our own frail and finite human understanding. When we choose God’s lens, the road is smoother and the possibilities absolutely unlimited (Proverbs 3:5,6).
Through which lenses are you viewing your life? The lenses of denial, skepticism, pessimism, and self-focus never give us a clear picture of reality. We may think we see clearly, but we are always grossly out of focus. We see most clearly only when we choose to trust God’s ways and look for Him at work in our lives. Let he who has eyes to see . . . see.
1 comments:
Just what I needed. Thank you!
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