Strangely Dim

I've worn glasses since I was 12, and I've had a love-hate relationship with them for most of my life. I convinced myself that I needed glasses because I watched our little old black and white TV too closely. That's what the old folks said, and that's what I believed. Turns out, I was near-sighted, I could see near but not far, and as I got older, I'm not sure my television habits had anything to do with my need for wearing glasses.

Love or hate, being able to see clearly, is an eye-opener. In my late 40s, my vision started to deteriorate to where I could no longer read the ingredients on labels. Up to this point, I wore

Engaging the Senses

You may have noticed a theme in the last 5 posts in that they all focused on the senses - seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and tasting. Our senses help us to learn about the world we live in; they also help us experience God. Can you imagine your life without any senses?

But in order to fully experience all that God has to offer, you will have to start with a simple act of faith. You will have to recognize your need for a God who can save you due to your shortcomings. This act of faith is believing in God and asking Him to be Lord of your Life. You don't have to work for it, don't have to go to church, you don't even have to read the Bible nor say a special prayer. You simply have to believe. 

Once you've made this decision by making this leap of faith, you can begin to experience life differently.

Your vision can be calibrated by the Master optometrist so that you are walking in your purpose.
As you learn to pray, you will also learn to listen in pray; to really hear and get to know the One you have committed your life to.
In the same way that you reached out and touched Him, He will touch you and minister to you.
Your desire to live in a way pleasing to Him will be a sweet smell to his nostrils.
Cumulatively, you will taste and experience the goodness of the Lord in spite of your circumstances - because you have a resource, a Comforter who is always with you.

In our physical bodies when one sense is missing or not used often enough the others become heightened. So as an example, a blind person can hear really well. The same may happen in our spiritual walk - we may go through things in life - we lose our vision or our sense of purpose but in our prayer time and quiet time, because we are seeking, we are more attuned to what the Lord is saying. The senses are independent yet interdependent in the physical and the spiritual.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. Ephesians 2:8-9 [NLT]

It is my hope that you are able to experience all that life has to offer by first taking a step of faith by believing in Christ and then engaging your senses to experience God in everything you do.

Additional resources: https://www.gotquestions.org/become-a-Christian.html
https://www.gotquestions.org/new-Christian.html

New Year - Check your Vision

I've worn glasses since I was 12 years old, so I'm very familiar with what happens during an eye exam.  An eye exam is where the overall health of my eyes is assessed while also checking the quality of my vision. During the exam, the optometrist always asks me to remove my glasses - in essence putting me back to square zero. Without my glasses, I cannot see perfectly and everything is blurry. Then he puts that device in front of my eyes - and knowing what he's trying to get to - for he knows my prescription, he starts adjusting the lenses for quality and clarity.

After an initial adjustment, he starts a series of questions to narrow down the best prescription for me. "Can you see better with this lens or this lens? How about this one? Better now? Which one is clearer?" Each question requires an answer before he can proceed. He'll repeat the same process for the other eye and then he'll put them both together, and ask a bit more questions. The final test, he'll ask me to read the smallest line on the eye chart. At this point, he provides details regarding my prescription.

I have to provide input so that the optometrist can have the best direction in terms of my vision. Sometimes, though the questions seem to take a bit longer to answer, or when there seem to be multiple changes of lenses I anticipate that my vision has changed drastically. I'm always surprised to hear that my vision is still the same. Other times, most recently, I'm told my vision has changed.

Last year my dreams were blurry and fuzzy but they were also calibrated so that I could see clearly. I had a vision exam in the form of life. Things happened and I was asked, "Can you see clearly now?" I answered, "No." I stayed there for a while disillusioned and in a state of despair. Something else happened. "How about now?" "It's getting clearer," I responded. Another life event occurred. "Better or worse?" "Better." "OK, let's keep going." Again, something else happened. "Can you read the bottom line?" "Why yes, it's perfect."

The Master Optometrist was controlling the lens. It was important to Him that I am able to see. He kept, prodding, adjusting and calibrating until my vision was what it should be. I kept working with Him and providing input because I knew that He was doing things to adjust my vision so that I could see clearly.

A new year presents a perfect opportunity to check your vision. Take time to answer the questions that are being asked of you. Our ultimate purpose is to please God; as He keeps adjusting the lens we'll figure out how to do what we're designed to do. We'll keep listening and answering and we'll be confident as we execute our vision. Visions change - so keep checking in to ensure that you can see clearly.

...the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Isaiah 60:19 [KJV]

Have you checked your vision recently? Have a wonderful new year