Do You See What I See?

I am one of the millions of individuals who do not have 20/20 vision. From wearing glasses in elementary school to currently wearing contacts, I’ve needed corrective vision most of my life.  I cannot see well without my contacts – small details are non-existent and people’s faces are blurry.  Therefore, wearing contacts has become a necessary part of my life.

Life would be extremely difficult if I lived life without corrective vision (and quite dangerous too)! It’s the same in the Spirit – if we view life with a critical attitude, resentment, or negativity, we are not seeing clearly. Our vision is blurred and we can miss out on spectacular opportunities the Lord wants to reveal to us.

In John chapter 9, Jesus heals a man that was born blind. The Pharisees – teachers of the law – could not accept the fact that Jesus was the Messiah. They were ‘blind’ from the truth, even when the Truth was right in front of them! Through their faulty vision, they could only see their own version of God’s truth and justify it to suit their own righteousness. Unfortunately, many of the Pharisees became blind because they rejected Jesus’ message and stuck only to what they saw.

The Lord is still challenging us today to view life from His perspective. His Word is the standard of truth and we are seekers of the truth; we should desire to see what the Holy Spirit wants us to see.

What could this look like?

It is … putting away selfish pride and asking for forgiveness, regardless of whose fault it is.

It is … trusting in God’s promises even if your reality looks far different.

It is … investing time and energy to serve and minister to those who are in need.

The list continues to grow as we read his Word and know Him in a deeper way. We realize that corrective vision is correct vision. If we are left to our own way of thinking, without the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we will distort reality and how we view ourselves and see others.

The Lord invites each of us by saying, “Do you see what I see?”

When we look at ourselves in the mirror, we look at our identity in Christ, not at our flaws. When we see someone who has broken our trust, we look at them with hope for restoration, not as fractured pieces to never be repaired. As challenging as this can be, we have to remember that Jesus is with us, He is for us, and He has made a way for us. Let’s see what He has for us this week because seeing clearly is clearly the right way to live.

4 comments

  1. “When we see someone who has broken our trust, we look at them with hope for restoration, not as fractured pieces to never be repaired.”
    Thank you Nathan for this message. It’s comforting to hear .

    • Hi Linda. I’m glad it brings you comfort. This truth can be difficult for us to take in, especially if we are still dwelling in the hurt. Thankfully, God wants to hear our hurt & transform that into hope so we can love that person through the brokenness. Thank you for sharing.

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