Vision

As I head off this week to have eye surgery, I am reminded, again, of the importance of vision. As I ponder this thing, vision, I am reminded that there are two visions – one spiritual and one physical. Having had issues with my physical vision for over 35 years, this concept of “vision” has many times troubled me.

I felt, for many years, that I went through life with “blinders” on. I spent a couple of years “legally blind” as a young adult, and had to focus on a narrow window ahead of me to navigate through life – I didn’t have the luxury of looking around and taking in the scenery. Any of you who have horses know that blinders are sometimes necessary – as they enable the rider or master of the horse to guide the horse through danger without the horse becoming afraid and refusing to continue. If you remember the scene from the movie Gone With the Wind, where the character Rhett Butler used his coat to cover the horse’s eyes to lead him through fire – this is what I mean by blinders. You may have seen horses ridden in the city with flaps (also known as blinders) attached to the bridal to prevent the horse from being distracted by things in his peripheral vision. These are necessary blinders. I think as Christians, we sometimes need to have some blinders on, to keep us focused and not distracted – to help us keep our eyes on Jesus.

Then there are those who need to take off their blinders. They need to open their eyes and their hearts to Jesus. Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) says , “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Yikes! I think we need to seek God, learn about His plans for our lives, and look for Him throughout our day. When we are looking, and “seeing,” we need also to remember that things we see with our physical eyes may not be what they seem – we have to learn to see better with our spiritual eyes.

2 Corinthians 4:18 (AMP) says, “So we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are unseen; for the things which are visible are temporal [just brief and fleeting], but the things which are invisible are everlasting and imperishable.” I hope we can delve into God’s Word and learn to recognize those “unseen” truths that are everlasting, and be comforted in knowing that what we see is often temporary – and will soon pass.

Father, God, help us to develop vision – help us to see with eyes that You have given us, not just to see what everyone else sees. Help us to keep in perspective what our physical eyes see, and to remember that those things are only temporary, and really have little or no bearing in our lives if we choose to see with our spiritual eyes things that are imperishable and everlasting. Thank you for guiding the hands of my surgeon this week, and restoring my physical vision, as I press in to You, and learn more about my spiritual vision!

I appreciate all prayers on my behalf this week and always! Have a terrific day!