Perfect Vision?
It is 2020! I will quickly admit that I began to sing the “Perfect Vision” song that was being sung everywhere. It was a very good thought and one on which I began to meditate and pray as to what that would look like for me personally. To my surprise, it has not ended up as I expected.
Thanks to Google, I discovered the true meaning of 20/20. It is not perfect vision at all! It is visual acuity which is testing how well my eyes can see the Snellen Eye Chart for 20 feet as compared to other people. 20/15 is actually better than 20/20 because it would mean I can see at 20 feet what others (normal at 20/20) can only see at 15 feet. Furthermore, there are many factors that can cause a person with 20/20 vision to see poorly: peripheral vision, focus, depth perception, color, to name a few. This person may see 20 feet on an eye chart but not be able to walk five feet forward. What a bubble buster!
Since I am not interested in a motivation that comes by comparing myself to other people (norm), I am committing 2020 to testing my visual clarity as it measures up to a far higher standard. I want a perspective that is not found in the world around me but in the Word inside me.
The only tested human that can give me this insight would be the man Jesus. He certainly was not compared to the norm when it came to his responses to what he saw. He was the epitome of “blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” When he saw a crowd of people, he felt compassion (Matt. 9:36). He looked at a city he loved, and he wept (Luke 19:41). He saw pride in outward religion and he “looked at him and loved him.” He saw confusion in his disciples and assured them all things are possible with God (Mark 10:17-27). I’m still working on this list and it is giving plenty of thought about my responses to what is seen. My key verse: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus . . . consider him . . . so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Heb. 12:2-3).
I would like to encourage us all, as a family of faith, to consider personal focus this year. God’s vision for his children is that we overcome the norm around us, we persevere in struggles and trials, and we live on his promise: “They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God” (Rev. 21:3). Let us do this together! Let us live by faith and not by sight. Together we can grow strong individuals, families, children, and grandparents if our eyes are clearly focused on our Father’s heart. “Personal vision ultimately comes from one place: intimate communion with God” (Doug Banister).
“So we do not lose heart. . . as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal (2 Cor. 4:16-18).