When I was a little girl, probably around the age of 6 or 7, I started doing poorly in school. I used to be one of the first students to get my work done and then all of a sudden I started being the last to finish. My teacher thought I was being defiant and not doing my work on purpose. One day as the other kids were headed outside for afternoon recess, I had to stay inside to finish the math work in front of me. I had not completed even one of the ten questions assigned to me.
My teacher, at this point, was going to heat up her lunch and come back and work with me until I was finished. The second she left the room I ran up to the chalkboard where all the questions were written (yes chalkboard, not dry erase lol). I completed all ten questions and when she got back in the room, after being gone for only a few minutes, I asked her if I could go outside and play with the kids now.
She looked at me confused and then remembered that the week before she had rearranged the classroom and I had been moved to the back of the class instead of the front where I had been before. She knelt down and looked at me and said Kara, can you not see the board from where you are sitting now? I told her I had to stand close to the board to see the questions. I was too young to know why I couldn’t see, I just knew I couldn’t answer the questions until I was closer. She ended up keeping me in the front of the classroom until my parents scheduled an eye appointment and I was prescribed my first pair of glasses.
When I thought of this I also thought of the verse that says Fix your eyes on Jesus the author and perfector of our faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorned its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2a
It is only because of glasses could I physically see the chalkboard and it is only because of Jesus are we able to spiritually see. Jesus is the author and perfector of our faith and that led me to ask the questions: Are we seeing Him clearly? Are we seeing Him at all?
Because of Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection, we are able to put our faith in Him. We are able to ask for forgiveness for our sins and he takes the blinders off of our eyes so that we can see. Just like I needed a pair of glasses to see the chalkboard, we need Jesus to see life clearly. If we do not have him in our lives it is like walking around with extremely blurred vision. We may be able to function but we will not be truly living. Without Jesus in our lives, we may go through this life seeing and hearing but not with understanding. He is way the truth and the life.
Having our eyes set on Jesus not only changes the clarity of our vision but it also changes the circumstances around us.
When I was sitting at that desk, in a form of blindness, I was not able to get my work done and the consequence of not getting my work done was missing the afternoon recess. As soon as I was able to clearly see it changed my circumstances because I was able to go outside and play.
The same happens with Jesus. When we fix our eyes on Him, not only can we clearly see the meaning and purpose of our life, but our circumstances drastically change. The most drastic change is that we receive the free gift of salvation which positionally changes our future forever because we get to spend eternity with our savior. But it also changes our day-to-day, minute-to-minute lives. It changes our attitude as we proceed through the day’s work and routines. Whether we are employees, students, parents, or children, having Jesus and the Holy Spirit in our lives brings sight and transformation to the here and now.
I was struggling a bit with depression this past winter. I have always struggled off and on with anxiety and depression. Perhaps it will always be the thorn in my flesh. However, the depression kept worsening and growing the more I fixed my eyes on it. The more I thought about my malaise and lack of interest in accomplishing day-to-day things, the more the malaise grew. Kind of like I was stuck in the back of the classroom with no hope of seeing the board and no hope of heading to recess. But I realized I was fixing my eyes on the wrong thing. I should never be fixing my eyes on the muck and mire of this life.
It was as if I was sitting there unable to complete my tasks, my work and my responsibilities and like that six-year-old girl in the classroom, I was handed my first pair of glasses.
Jesus is the lens that we need to see through the depression, anxiety, hopelessness, anger, loneliness, pain or whatever struggle you are experiencing in your life today. He is the lens we need to receive clarity, hope, purpose, direction and assurance so we are able to run the race set before us.
It is not easy when you are in that hard place. It is not easy in the valley. It’s not easy when the tears of life are blocking your vision. But friend please know that Jesus is not only like having a pair of glasses on, He is not just a crutch for us to use on those blurry days and seasons of life. He has literally cured our blindness so we wake up every day with clear vision of Him. We can fix our eyes on Him because He has given us our sight back. I was blind and now I see. Look to Jesus today, He loves you and he is the author and finisher of our faith and the reason we can see clearly today, tomorrow and forever.
The Lord Bless you and Keep you,
Kara
Faith, Hope, Encourage
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