EYES TO SEE

Some time has passed and I’ve been away from my computer…and for good reason.   After having a rendezvous with the optometrist a few months ago, she informed me that the cataracts on my eyes were growing; and it was now time for me to consider “clearing the horizon of my vision.”

All that transpired on my birthday.  I knew my vision seemed somewhat hampered, but must that be announced on my birthday?  My next determined step was to locate a specialist in cataract surgery.  My doctor game me a referral and within a month or so, I arrived at this specialist’s office.

After 45 minutes of testing and his consultation, it was determined that I should have this surgery.  He assured me that my vision would be clearer, sharper and an overall “surprising experience.”

Over the years I had heard from many a friend who had these procedures done.  Many said that you’re awake the entire time.  Well, this surgeon said that they would administer a medication that would make me sleepy, yet I would not be fully asleep.  The purpose of the medication was so I could hear, understand the surgeon’s requests, but yet I would remain perfectly still.  And the best part was that I wouldn’t remember a thing.  Hard to believe, but he proved correct in his instructions.

Skipping over the “details of the day,” my first focus (good word here) was coming out of the anesthesia.  I recall my husband driving me home and even eating a little dinner in the evening, but groggy was the theme of my evening.   I went to bed very early for a wonderful sleep.

The following morning, it was “eye drop routine” for me.  For those of you who have experienced this, you’ll understand.  Nowadays, they don’t use a black patch that completely covers your “operated eye.”  They place a plastic like cone over the operated eye, with a strip of tape.  So you can see just a little around the corner of the tape.  

As we removed the cover, I looked around carefully and thought that I’d like to cover that eye and see how my other eye’s vision was.  To my utter amazement, the eye I thought was good was VERY BLURRED.  I was stunned.  Yes, I wore glasses to help, but without the glasses and the use of my other eye, I couldn’t believe how fractured my vision was.

After all these five years of knowing “about the beginning stages of the cataracts” growing, I began adjusting to the blurred vision. 

Without further ado, I covered the blurred-vision eye and looked out at the “new miracle eye.”  Surprised and shocked aren’t even accurate words here.  I yelled out, “I CAN SEE!  I CAN SEE!”   I could see things I hadn’t been able to see in years.   Every appliance and door knob were clear, even my husband’s eyes came into “perfect focus.”   I routinely placed my hand over the good eye to see the comparison.  Then I’d switch to cover the bad eye, so I could see “accurately.”

For the remaining week, I keep giving thanks to God for my eye sight and the surgery that enabled that.  Often, I’d find myself chatting out loud, “I can see!”  No one heard me, but God.

It was during the week in one my quiet times with the Lord and reading His Word that I was struck with the thought that I “thought” I was seeing clearly for years, but I wasn’t.  It wasn’t until I experienced the “cataract surgery” that removed the “blurred vision” was I able to see clearly and accurately all the color and details around me.

You may sense where all this is leading.  It took a “qualified and accurate” surgeon to locate and detect in microscopic detail where my blindness was located.  And unless I underwent the surgeon’s delicate procedure, I would have continued to lose the visual perspective of my life and surroundings.

That’s when “the penny dropped” within my mind.  I began to realize that’s what happens when we read the Scriptures.  Unless God, through His Holy Spirit within us, opens and clears away the “fogginess” (if I can use that word) that surrounds our vision, we won’t see clearly what God is trying to say to us.

He is always at work, but we need to cooperate with His work.  I think that’s called sensitivity to God throughout our day, and it’s worked out in the sneakers of our lives through active obedience.  It’s day-by-day yielding our will to His, and then walking it out in our lives.

Oh, how we need the working of His Spirit within us.  We receive the Holy Spirit the moment we invite Jesus Christ into our lives.  We can often hear people talk about getting more of the Holy Spirit.  Well, quite clearly the Scriptures teach us that He doesn’t come “in doses.”  We get all of Him at the time of our conversion into God’s family; but the critical target is that He longs to have “more of us.”

In fact, our lives are really composed of our “responses to God.”

As God works on our vision and shows us things in our lives that need “His touch,” and we yield to that “spiritual cataract” touch, we begin to see more and more of the areas of our lives that He is conforming.  Why?   So we look more and more like Jesus in our everyday life.  Why?  So that when others are around us, they’ll be exposed to a more accurate reflection of Jesus. 

Perhaps like me, we wouldn’t want our words, responses and behavior to blur another’s “sight of the Savior in us” and turn them away from “seeing their need of Him.”  No wonder God’s #1 goal is to “make us more like Jesus.”

When the eye surgeon examined me, he kept insisting that I look at him.  He used a variety of instruments to check my focus.   I wonder if the circumstances you and I might currently find ourselves, would be representative of “Divine instrumentation” to help us “focus our vision on our Savior more intently.”  Actually, all our experiences are custom-built to keep us close and attentive to Him daily.

I’d like to close with some words from a recent devotional from Dr. Charles Swindoll as he spoke about the imprisonment of Joseph.

“You see, the Lord God remained first in Joseph’s life; He was the focus of his life.  The LENS OF GOD’S WILL STOOD BETWEEN JOSEPH AND HIS CIRCUMSTANCES, enabling Joseph to SEE GOD IN THEM, to READ GOD IN THEM—and enabling God to use him in them.”

Years ago, when I first began struggling to see clearly the words on any page I was reading, I went to have my eyes tested.  In the waiting room I saw a cute sign where a little boy was wearing his brand-new glasses.  The sign read:  

“Dear God, I can see you much better with my new glasses.”

My regular prayer is: “Lord Jesus, help me to see you in my day-to-day with clearer vision and sharper focus.”