Seeing Differently
David Francis
Myopia (nearsightedness) is on the increase due to more phone use, screen work and close-vision tasks. Providing for this means opticians are flourishing.
The ‘Specsavers’ TV adverts make me laugh. One in particular, features an old Celtic sheep farmer who has a faithful sheep dog herding the flock on a wild, Hebridean island.
The sheep are rounded up. The faithful sheep dog responding to all whistled commands.
The last sheep is shorn, and the sheepdog offers his head to the short-sighted shepherd who feels the hairy dogs head. Oh, there’s one more to do?
The obedient dog slinks away having much less hair!
‘Should have gone to Spec savers!’
This world bombards us with suggestions that we always need more or in some way we simply do not fit in. It’s hard on occasions to be peaceful and content with who you are and what you look like.
Like the Israelites who wandered in the desert after leaving Egypt (Exodus 16), we can feel dissatisfied and complaining.
Although we as Christians have entered the ‘Promised land’ so to speak, and have the Kingdom now within us (Luke 17: 21), there’s also a ‘not yet’ aspect. The fuller manifestation of what we will be like, as well as what the earth will become, is still to be revealed (Romans 8: 19-20).
Through our sojourn, God provides greatly as we can all testify. But we do have to guard against the prevailing culture of spiritual myopia.
Our ‘desert’ life can be very hostile, difficult, confusing and uncertain. For many, even God can seem capricious, fleeting, unfair and deaf to our cries.
In a world that is often messed up beyond all recognition, we need better vision.
When we set our eyes upon God and His declaration of covenant love for us in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, we start to find better sight in our minds eye regarding our current circumstances.
Seen through Gods eyes we are very special indeed:
“a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, Gods special possession, that you may declare the praise of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
(1 Peter 2: 9)
In Philippians 4: 11-12, Paul learned to be content regardless of his circumstances, doing all things through Christ who gave him strength.
Timothy was encouraged to see ‘Godliness with contentment is great gain’. (1 Timothy 6: 6)
We need the specs of our Saviour to see this world in its rightful place in our lives.
Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ.
Our faith in the anchor of God’s total commitment to us in Christ will never disappoint.
Allow His unconditional, loving view of you to see all of life's challenges and ‘hair-raising’ experiences to be part of the journey, knowing He sees you clearly and still loves every inch.
