I didn’t realize the blackboard (yes, it really was a blackboard—chalkdust and all) looked fuzzy.  It seemed okay to me.  But somehow or other (I don’t remember how this came about), my mom and her mom took me to the eye doctor.  After some very strange tests (strange to me at least), the diagnosis came back—near-sighted.

We chose some eyeglasses that very day.  They were quite stylish for the time—ice blue frames with little sparkly accents.  After a couple of weeks, they arrived.  We went back to get them, and I discovered that the world wasn’t nearly as fuzzy as I thought.  Grass was spiky, trees sported individual leaves, and the writing on the blackboard was amazingly sharp.  I felt so good about those glasses and about seeing again that I didn’t even mind being called “four-eyes” when I returned to my fifth-grade classmates. If having glasses made that kind of difference, so be it.

Every few years, following a check-up, I’d choose a new set of frames.  Depending on the style of the time, they might look more or less attractive.  Brown cat-eyed-shaped glasses followed the ice-blue, sparkly frames.  Later I wore tiny wire rims and then larger, round, tortoiseshell frames.  (Do I have pictures of any of these beauties?  Possibly, but the answer is no, I won’t share them.)

Then I discovered the magic of contact lenses.  Oh, my goodness!  My vision was so sharp and clear; I felt like I could the ants skittering on the blades of grass and ladybugs dancing on the leaves.  I didn’t have to fight with my glasses when they steamed up or when I walked through a downpour.  It was a wondrous thing!

I still wear contact lenses; however, several years ago, as presbyopia set in, I had to begin wearing reading glasses with my contacts.  I felt then and I still feel now that there’s some kind of injustice about this situation.  (I know that those of you who always wear glasses don’t see this in the same light I do.  I know.)

I had one pair of expensive prescription reading glasses, lost them, and began wearing four-pairs-to-a-pack, inexpensive (read, cheap) magnifiers.  I bought them by the case lot and scattered them hither and yon—by my chair, in my desk, in my car, by the bed—anywhere I might need to reach out and grab them.

I’ve realized that I often have to have some sort of assist to see clearly.  Sometimes I’ve gotten hold of the wrong end of a situation and have misjudged what’s happening.  Someone who understands better has come alongside me and shown me what I didn’t know and couldn’t see before.  I appreciate that since it can keep me from making a fool of myself.

I see the Scriptures in the same manner—as a magnifying glass that shows me what a good relationship with the Lord can be and how to cultivate one.  I see better when I look through the lens of Scripture.

Psalm 36:9-10 offers a way to see the value of this vision, “For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.  Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart.”  May we see in His light, by His love, and through His power!

Excuse me now; I have to go and look for another pair of magnifiers.

Questions:   How well do you see?  What have you seen in Scripture that has changed or helped your view of living to follow God?