What Does It Take to Open Our Eyes?

During my years in college and seminary, my eyes began to experience tiredness and some blurriness with all the reading that was required. The optometrist prescribed glasses for me with some correction in the lenses to help me with the reading. Over the years, my eyes have continued changing with age, and stronger and different lenses have been prescribed to help improve my vision. About two months ago, the optometrist said that new glasses were no longer the answer and he dared to use the s-word (surgery) with me. The bottom line is that over the last two weeks I have had cataracts removed from both eyes and new lenses placed into my eyes. I am still in the adjustment stage of healing, but the changes in my vision are already dramatic. Light seems white rather than a yellowish gray tone. Colors are so much brighter that I haven't recognized some old things that I believed were one color and now have discovered them to be a totally different color. I am writing this at the computer without my glasses.

I am thankful that there are various means of improving our vision. However, the treatments available to us through optometry and ophthalmology while great for physical vision, we may still have limited or no vision in seeing the workings of God around us. John Newton was born in 1725. In his early years, he was the captain of slave ships, but in 1748 he called out to God for mercy and his life and vision changed. As he trusted Jesus as his savior, he grew in faith and was ordained to the ministry. In 1799 he published the great hymn that we still sing today - "Amazing Grace." There is a line in the first verse that catches our attention - "I once was blind, but now I see." He was not speaking of physical blindness but rather of spiritual blindness. Until he trusted Jesus as his savior and Lord, Newton was not seeing the things of God.

The question we need to ask ourselves today is "what am I not seeing because of spiritual blindness?"

• Do we look at our world and think that if everyone lived like we do, everything would be good? Affluence, money, prosperity, air-conditioned homes, mother, father, and two children are not the solutions to a broken world.

  
  

• Do we think that if we didn't have to see all these hungry and homeless people in our towns, our cities would be a much better place? When Jesus spoke of judgment in Matthew 25 to His disciples, they questioned Him about what He said they had done, or in some cases not done. Their question and Jesus' response is found in Matthew 25:37-40.

"Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,

or thirsty and give you something to drink?

When did we see you a stranger and invite

you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?

When did we see you sick or in prison and go to

visit you?

Jesus replied, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for

one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine,

you did for me.'"

How we see our world; how we see people; and how we see solutions are not vision issues corrected by glasses, contact lenses, lasik, or cataract surgery. The way God wants us to see His creation, the people He created in His image, the real needs that exist, and the answer that is ultimately found in Jesus Christ, results only when we allow God to give us spiritual sight that comes only through faith in Jesus. Once we know Jesus and receive Him by faith, we also have the responsibility of sharing Him with others that they, too, might have spiritual sight.

I am very thankful that my physical sight has been greatly enhanced through cataract surgery, but I pray that God will continue to improve my spiritual vision that my blind spots will be healed and I will see all that He desires me to be able to see and to respond.

In 1895, Clara H. Scott wrote the hymn "Open My Eyes, That I May See." The first line makes this request:

"Open my eyes, that I may see

Glimpses of truth thou hast for me."

I can read and study and gain educational and academic insight, but only God can open my eyes to truly see spiritual truth and need. May we seek not only better physical vision through our annual checkups, but may we also seek spiritual vision and insight through daily time spent with God.