Sight and Vision

I had eye surgery a few weeks ago, for the second time on the same eye, an attempt to correct a chronic condition called “macular puckering”. It causes skewing and distortion of one's eyesight, and sometimes double vision, always at the wrong times. Left untreated, there would eventually be loss of field vision, retinal damage, and even a greater chance of retina detachment resulting in partial or permanent blindness in that eye. No thank you. I grew up with the eyes of an eagle, but failed to protect them as I should have around my many different entrepreneurial environments. I, like so many, was coached to protect my eyes, but I had no vision of the prophetic wisdom therein. Time to pay the fiddler, again.

There are churches around the country that enjoy putting thought provoking sayings on their outdoor marquees, and they have some pretty good ones at times. Not long ago, several were posted on Facebook and one of them had this to say: “To some God gives sight; To others He gives vision.” Sometimes the words sight and vision can mean the same thing. For example, an optometrist’s office can be referred to as a vision clinic. But in the statement above I think you can see that the two words are to be understood in vastly different ways. To be able to see with your eyes is indeed a great blessing. But to have vision is extraordinary. To see the difference, let’s look at a story from the Bible.

[2 Kings 6] During the time of the prophet Elisha, the king of Aram laid siege to the city of Dothan, hoping to capture Elisha. He sent a strong army with horses and chariots during the night and surrounded the city. When Elisha’s servant got up the next morning, he saw (with his eyes) the vast army. Because all he saw was the army, he felt helpless, saying to Elisha, “Oh no, my Lord! What shall we do?” But Elisha was not afraid. God had given him the ability to see beyond what his physical eyes could see. . He told his servant, “Don’t be afraid; Those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (6:16). And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (6:17). As the army came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike this army with blindness,” which God did (6:18). The king of Aram saw his vast army and felt powerful. Elisha had the vision to see beyond physical eyesight. He had faith to see the power of God, and won! Faith is basically having the vision to see what cannot be seen, or as Hebrews 11:1 puts it: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Many have read the account of Jesus healing the blind, but haven’t yet seen that Jesus’ healing illustrated more than compassion for the handicapped. It also demonstrated His power to give vision to the spiritually blind. I can’t help but to giggle a little when I read about the spiritual blindness of those in John 9. Jesus had healed a man who had been blind from birth. In the account, only the blind man had the vision to see Jesus. The religious leaders didn’t (9:28); The man’s parents didn’t (9:20-23); Even the disciples didn’t (9:2-3). Isn’t it ironic that only the blind man had the vision to see Jesus? (9:17; 35-38). Read the whole story. It might open your eyes. Pity the man who can see the sunrise, but can’t see the Son who rose from the dead! Pity the man who can see the stars, but not the Creator of the universe! Pity the man who can see the plant that grows from a seed, but not the God who gives it life. “To some God gives sight; To others He gives vision.” What an awesome thought and gift from God!

The Resurrection

[Luke 24:1-8] “On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'" Then they remembered his words.”

Jesus had said He would be raised. This was well known by many people. Think about what it really meant when on the third day He came to life again. It showed that He was telling the truth; He was the Son of God. It meant His death was much more than just a human dying. He was giving his life for the sins of all mankind (Romans 6:20). His resurrection brought joy to His disciples (John 20:20).

What would this mean to those who had cried out “Crucify Him, Crucify Him”? They could now know that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. They should know that God was working in all of the things which Jesus had been doing during His life. They had been wrong about who Jesus was; they had sinned (Acts 2:22-41). “We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true – even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Dear children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:18-21).

What would it mean to the Gentiles? In the resurrection was the proof that He was God’s Son and the Savior of the world. The idols which the Gentiles had been worshiping were not God and did not represent any divine being. It meant that the worship of these was vain. Paul expressed this to the people of Lystra, and saying, “...Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them...” (Acts 14:8-18).

What does it mean to us today? For me it means that God has shown His great love for all, and this includes me. “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8). By faith, I can have salvation from sin. For some His resurrection has no meaning at all because they refuse to accept it as fact. They refuse to really consider all the evidence which God has given. “...God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished...” (Romans 3:21-26). I pray that you will accept the fact of His resurrection; live according to His teaching and see an eternal home in heaven.

A Cup of Humility

The Night Train is coming! Steve Holcomb developed an eye condition that rendered him unable to drive a vehicle, he was legally blind. He informed his coaches that he had to retire from bobsledding, but first, they encouraged him to seek out an experimental surgery that could restore his vision. He had the surgery and it was a success. In the 2010 Winter Olympics, Steve Holcombe was the captain and driver of the four-man bobsled, nicknamed the Night Train, winning a gold medal for the USA, their first gold medal in this event in 62 years (1948). The story is told of a University professor who went searching for the meaning of life. After many long journeys over several years, he came to the mountaintop retreat of a holy hermit and asked for enlightenment. The man invited the visitor into his humble tent and began to serve him tea. When he had filled the professor’s cup, he kept on pouring so that soon the tea was spilling all over the table. At first, the professor watched the overflowing tea in silence. But, finally, he blurted out, “STOP! The cup is full! No more will go in!” Where upon the holy hermit stopped pouring the tea and replied, “Like this cup, you are full of your own opinions, preconceptions and misconceptions. How then can I enlighten you unless you are willing to first empty your cup?” We cannot learn when we are so full of ourselves.

[James 4:10] “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” Humility can be a slippery slope – when you decide you have it – you just lost it. Humility is not something to be sought after for its value or reward. Humility comes to those who are not concerned about themselves. F.B. Meyer said it well, “I used to think God’s gifts were on shelves, one above another, and the taller we grow, the easier we can reach them. Now I find that God’s gifts are on shelves, one below another and the lower we stoop, the more we get.” Humility, in large part, is my understanding of how big God is and how small I am. It’s about how none of us deserves the love and blessings He showers on us. Humility literally means to make low. It is to see my weakness and frailty as I lift my head toward the God of heaven. In the gospel of John we read about a blind man who was healed by Jesus. Blind from birth, he received sight. Can you imagine the excitement he must have felt to be able to see for the first time in his life? All the familiar sounds he knew were now accompanied by a visual picture. How beautiful the world must have seemed to this man! But, before he could enjoy it, he was taken before those trying to deny Jesus was from God. This former blind man summed up his experience with Jesus by saying, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind, but now I see!” (John 9:24-25). How many people in our world today are so materially full, to a point of overflowing, they are spiritually blind? They walk around in darkness and have no idea which way to turn next. They are constantly looking for guidance and direction. As Christians, we must point them in the direction of Christ, the One who gives sight to those who are spiritually blind. “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’” (John 8:12). Christ teaches we are also the light of the world because we believe in Him, and tells us to, “...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16). The stories of Steve Holcombe and the professor have inspired many, but Jesus’ life giving light is the best.

A Dose of Reality

Reality is not a concept on a TV show. Reality is meeting life head-on, good or bad. Reality is: * Going to work and earning a paycheck; * Dealing with people – those who like you and those that don’t; * Paying bills for everyday normal things like utilities and insurance; * Seeing things that need repair (car, house, etc.) and taking action to repair them; * Meeting deadlines for work or school; * Knowing that life is made up of successes and failures; * Wanting something and knowing that you can’t afford it; * Looking into the mirror and knowing that you are aging and that it will continue, no matter how hard you try to slow it down or cover it up; * Seeing your parents and children grow old before your eyes; * Knowing that people are depending on you – some for direction, some for support, some for encouragement; * Going to a doctor and hearing that your blood pressure or blood sugar levels are abnormal and making decisions as to what to do about it; * Walking into a hospital and seeing that accidents and disease come into the lives of all kinds of people - young and old , rich and poor; * Walking away from a hospital moments after a loved one has died. Reality can throw a lot of things at us.

John Haywood (1497-1580) observed, “Haste maketh waste.” Even back then that advice had been around for a while. Chaucer (1343-1400) had much earlier, in his “Canterbury Tales,” phrased the thought this way: “in wicked haste is no profit.” Although it is often very true that “fools rush in where angels fear to tread,” nevertheless there is something to be said for haste, given the right circumstances. Notice a few Biblical examples: * “When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him” (Mark 5:6). Here was a man possessed of demons who recognized in the Son of God the source of his deliverance. Thus, he “made haste” to the One able to save him from his affliction. * “As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. ‘Good teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’” (Mark 10:17). Some things are too important to delay. With regard to salvation, we should “make haste” to come to the Savior. * When Jesus was passing through Jericho, Zacchaeus “...ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see Him...” (Luke 19:4). We can’t afford to miss Jesus. * When Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found it empty, she ran to tell Peter and John. ”Both were running,” but John “outran Peter and reached the tomb first” John 20:2, 4). Some good news just can’t wait; it has to be told, and told at once. Those who hear such marvelous good news should “make haste” to determine its validity. Philip, being directed by the Holy Spirit, “...ran up to the chariot...” of the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:31). Again, good news can’t wait – and neither can the lost. They are in need of the Word of God, NOW! “ ‘...In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). Reality is: * Knowing that (unless Jesus comes in your lifetime) you will die someday, in some manner. * Knowing that some day you will stand before God in the Judgment and give an account of how you conducted your life. * Knowing that God loves you so much that he gave His Son so that you could be saved from your sins (John 3:16). “And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on His name” (Acts 22:16). God has totally, plainly, made himself understood  “...so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:18-20).