Vision

A New Pair of Glasses

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Last September I saw an eye doctor. My bifocals didn’t seem to be cutting it in all circumstances. He confirmed. Nothing major, but a slight change to my lens prescription. 

Made me think about the next-to-last time I saw an eye doctor. I didn’t realize how much I needed bifocals until I tried on my brother-in-laws’ in order to read the inscription on his daughter’s high school class ring. It was crazy how much clearer I could see small details. I had no idea what I was missing.

The truth to having no idea what I’ve been missing seems to magnify daily. Three times this week I had conversations about a project I’m involved with where I find myself shaking my head. “How did I end up here?”

Most of the time that question carries a regretful or sorrowful tone. That’s not the case at all in this instance. No, it’s more like, “If you’d told me five years ago I’d be involved in this project, I’d thought you were out of your mind.” I told someone this week that 15 years ago the answer would have been, “Absolutely not!”

What’s changed? I see things differently. For reasons that don’t need to be explained, my vision has changed. Call it growth, personal development, or broader understanding, I’m able to contribute in ways I wasn’t capable five or fifteen years ago. And very much like my physical eyes, I had no idea what I was missing.

How about you? What are you doing today that you weren’t capable of doing five years ago? What experiences or influences have broadened your vision to sit with those you couldn’t sit with fifteen years ago? Who might you need to thank for figuratively giving you a new pair of glasses?

Photo by David Travis on Unsplash

We See What We Look For

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Recently a friend gave me a copy of Michael Hyatt’s Full Focus journal. So I’ve taken the challenge to complete it’s 90-day design.

The journal page for today had a portion of this quote by author John Lubbock:

What we do see depends mainly on what we look for… In the same field the farmer will notice the crop, the geologists the fossils, botanists the flowers, artists the colouring, sportmen the cover for the game. Though we may all look at the same things, it does not all follow that we should see them.”

― John Lubbock, The Beauties of Nature and the Wonders of the World We Live in

I instantly narrowed that down to this thought: We see what we look for.

How we view what we see is very dependent on what we are looking for. For example, when we read current events or listen to the news, we have biases that filter what we read and hear. How often do we evaluate those filters? How often do we assess if those filters really are ours or are they residual from other influences? Do we ever alter what we are looking for?

As a suggestion, here is a list that I started in my journal to illustrate what I mean. As you read it, consider how such a list in your journal would read.

  • We see God when we look for him
  • We see enemies when we look for them
  • We see offense when we look for it
  • We see opportunity when we look for it
  • We see solutions when we look for them
  • We see danger when we look for it
  • We see rejection when we look for it
  • We see grace when we look for it
  • We see humility when we look for it
  • We see strength when we look for it
  • We see courage when we look for it
  • We see unity when we look for it
  • We see love when we look for it

What are you looking for today? This week? This holiday season?

Get to the Doctor!

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Psalm 19 is full, rich, and worth meditation. Verses 12-13 jumped out at me this morning.

Who perceives his unintentional sins? Cleanse me from my hidden faults. Moreover, keep your servant from willful sins; do not let them rule me.

Did you notice the two types of sin he acknowledges? Unintentional and willful. That’s worth chewing on.

We all have a pretty good idea what our willful sins are, if we are honest. Many of them start with our tongue: slandering, gossiping, lying, or stretching the truth for our benefit. Others stay hidden from others in our minds and hearts, but they aren’t hidden to us. These types of sin are easy to address because we are aware of them.

But what about those unintentional sins? How are we supposed to address or acknowledge what we can’t see? 

May I suggest thinking of these sins as blind spots. If you were experiencing strange spots in your vision, what would you do? You’d probably go to the doctor, right? Because of his experience and knowledge, he could explain to you why your vision is spotty. 

What if the difficulty in your emotional/mental/spiritual life is hidden from your view? If you knew what it was or how to address it, you would do it, right? So when we can’t figure it out on our own, we have options similar like going to the eye doctor:

  • Pray these two verses
  • See a counselor or therapist
  • Go to church
  • Lean on a friend/mentor
  • Get connected to a small group

These are just a start. I would say that they could/should also be moved from optional status to non-optional status. If we want to stay clear of experiencing blind spots, ongoing connection with others desiring the same thing is the best place to be. Don’t wait for the blind spots to rise. Expect them. Position yourself in places where they can be seen, and you can receive the answers you cannot see for yourself. Get to the doctor!