Clear Vision

I had quite a scare at a recent optometrist appointment. The glasses I was wearing had been giving me problems, so I wasn't surprised when she told me my prescription had changed. But when I put my left eye in front of that device with all the lenses that they use to check your sight (did you know it's called a phoropter?), I couldn't see a thing on the eyechart! It was literally blank. I was both shocked and afraid. Had my left eye gone blind all of a sudden? Just a few minutes before, I had been sitting in the waiting room, reading my phone without a problem, and had driven to the appointment able to see out of both eyes. The optometrist scared me even more when she started making dire predictions about the deterioration of my eyesight.

Fearfully, I peeked around the edge of the phoropter. She quickly said, "No cheating!" but I didn't care, I needed to reassure myself that I could still see — and thankfully, I could. Then, she looked at the lens and discovered it was smudged. As soon as she cleaned it, all was well.

Seeing clearly is a blessing not to be taken for granted. I've worn glasses since I was 11 years old, and I clearly remember how well I could see after I got my first pair. But even more important than clear physical vision is clear spiritual vision. The psalmist wrote, "Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions." (Psalm 119:18 NLT)

What's the prescription for clear spiritual vision? It is simple: take our focus off ourselves and put it on God's Word.

• Psalm 119:105 – Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. (NLT)
• 2 Timothy 3:16 – All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. (NLT)
• Hebrews 4:12 – For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. (NLT)

Most of us are pretty faithful to have our eyes checked on a regular basis, but how often do we check our spiritual vision? Is our spiritual lens smudged? Let's use God's Word to bring our life into focus. Then we will be like the blind man Jesus healed at Bethsaida: "his eyes were opened … and he could see everything clearly." (Mark 8:25 NLT)

Remember, "No eye has seen … what God has prepared for those who love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT)

Prayer: Lord, thank You for the physical sight You give us. Help us to focus our spiritual sight, that we may see everything clearly. Amen.