“When Jesus saw the crowds…” Matthew 9:36
Churches and civic groups collect eyeglasses for people around the world for whom good, even adequate sight is only a dream. Some people suffer from sight defects from birth; others from disease or environmental pollutants. Before the donated lenses are usable, they usually undergo re-grinding, and the frames must become pliable with the application of heat so they fit the new wearer’s face. Only when the process is completed by a skilled or trained technician can more normal sight be attained. The brilliant smiles of children and adults who catch their first clear glimpse of a sunset or a loved one’s face leaves us in awe.
Christians too have eye problems, but they are best described as “I” problems. Our view of ourselves, world needs, people and even God is distorted by our own humanity and the environment of our culture. The disease of self-orientation causes foggy lenses resulting in blurred vision and, in extreme cases, spiritual blindness.
We need the Creator/Redeemer to correct our vision. One hymn writer penned, “Open my eyes that I might see glimpses of truth thou hast for me.” We might add to this prayer, “Fit me with the lens of your Word so that my vision is like unto yours. So that when I look at people, events, circumstances, myself and even you, O God, I see clearly. I see as Jesus saw.”
Father God, too often I allow the contaminants of the world and my own nature to blur my vision. Help me be willing to see as You see and then to act on what You reveal.
