I had my annual eye exam a couple of weeks ago. Needless to say, it seems that every year my eyesight gets a little worse than the year before. This requires me to get a new prescription for contacts and glasses.
The funny thing is I don’t realize that my eyesight is not as clear as it should be until I have that eye exam. You know the one, where they say, “Which picture is clearer? One? Or two?" Then two or three, etc.
When I finally land on the picture that is the most clear, I find out that my prescription needs to be changed. When my new contacts and glasses come in I am always amazed at how much better I see and it also causes me to wonder why I didn’t notice I wasn’t seeing clearly to begin with. I didn’t know my vision was not 20/20 until I see what 20/20 vision looks like.
That’s the moment the realization comes and I understand how unclear my vision has been. I have probably been squinting and seeing things through a little bit of a blurry lens and I didn’t even know it. Unfortunately, I am sure at times my spiritual eyes need an adjustment due to being out of focus as well.
I can almost imagine times when God is probably asking me, “Do you see what I see?” and I am out of focus, out of touch and unable to see what He sees. I think when I am seeing clearly what God wants me to see I have an entirely different vision and focus.
There are several opportunities I can miss when I am distracted and not seeing clearly. First, I think I miss the opportunities to see the beauty in God’s creation. Every day I have the opportunity to see a sunrise or a sunset. I have the opportunity to see the beautiful countryside that God has created. I have the opportunity to see the amazing creation in just my surroundings. I miss the details and incredible blessing of the beauty when my eyesight is blurry and unfocused. I miss the details when I am not seeing clearly with my spiritual eyes. When God says, “Do you see what I see?” I need to focus to see the beauty all around me.
Second, I think I miss the opportunities God sends my way to share kindness. When my focus is blurry, my vision is clouded and I miss the everyday opportunities to be kind. The world we live in can be hectic and chaotic. If I am distracted by these things I miss my opportunities. There are so many ways to share kindness each day. It could be seeing someone who needs a kind word, helping someone carrying a heavy load, smiling at people we pass during the day, or a gamut of other things. Kindness is the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. To be these things we have to see the world and others with our spiritual eyes. We have to look for these people and be aware of our surroundings. Our world needs kindness. When God says, “Do you see what I see?” I need to focus on the people all around me who need kindness.
The most important thing I might miss with my blurry vision is seeing others that need Jesus. If I am not using my spiritual eyes I do not have the ability to see the broken and hurting people around me who need a relationship with Jesus. I have to keep my eyes open to see other people as Jesus does, talk to them, pray for them, see their needs, and just be there to share Jesus with them. We are all in different places and circumstances daily. When God says, “Do you see what I see?” I need to have the eyes of Jesus to see and love others like He does.
I can’t help but think about all the things other people have seen that we have heard and read about in the Bible, things that have changed our lives. What about the dead coming back to life, the empty grave, the parting of the Red Sea, and so many other things, but most importantly the Resurrection. If these things had not been seen through someone’s spiritual eyes they would not have been recorded for us to be able to benefit from them.
If we are using our spiritual eyes we have an opportunity daily to see the beauty in God’s creation, share kindness with someone in need, and share the love and forgiveness of Jesus with someone who desperately needs Him. I think about all the places we are in where there are groups of people – the grocery, the airport, the mall, doctor offices, schools and so many more. We need to ask God to give us spiritual eyes daily to see people the way He sees them and then love people the way He loves them. What a difference this could make in our world!
The fact is we have to go to a doctor to have our physical vision corrected and we must go to our Savior daily to ask to have His vision to have our spiritual eyes corrected to see what he sees. I am thankful I have an eye doctor who can adjust my physical eyes to see as clearly as I can. I am more thankful that I have a Heavenly Father who can open my eyes, give me His vision, and allow me to have the privilege of seeing the needs of others. That is not just 20/20 vision but the perfect spiritual vision that only God can give. I just have to be obedient. How is your spiritual vision?
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Jill Johnson, a staff member at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, finds spiritual applications in her everyday experiences as a wife, mother, grandmother and Georgian. She is available to speak to your church's women's gatherings. Reach her at jjohnson@gabaptist.org.
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