[337 words]
I was born with extremely poor eyesight. My poor vision began to manifest itself in elementary school. At one point in the sixth grade my grades were horrible because of my vision. My mother was called in for a conference about my grades. I was terrified! I mean, the meeting wasn’t about some good news my teacher was about to share. He was going to drop a bombshell about my grades, and I feared the consequences!
The meeting began with tension in the air and the teacher quickly said to my mother, “He needs glasses.” This was a huge relief. I sank in my seat and whispered, “Thank you.” My gladness was based on the fact I felt like I was safe, for the moment, from wrath from my parents in relation to my low grades. I wasn’t concerned with glasses. As time moved on and I received glasses, I quickly realized all the things I had missed because I did not have good vision. For years, I only focused on the things I only “wanted to see” even if it meant I had to “squint” to see, which caused headaches.
The point is this: I struggled to “see” and I was only able to “see” the things I chose to “see” even it meant causing pain. Upon receiving my glasses and fully understanding the bigger picture, I finally realized I needed to focus on my destination and not my disgust. When we only focus on the troubles and challenges of this world, we only cause pain for ourselves and those around us. Please do not focus on the momentary discomfort, discord, and dissension, all of which cause distance between us and the Lord.
Let’s focus on our destination: Heaven. Heaven is a prepared place (John 14:1-6). Heaven provides rest for the weary (Revelation 21:1-4). Heaven is a place for the obedient (Revelation 22:14), and Heaven will last forever (Romans 6:23). Scripture allows us to “see” without “squinting.” His vision allows our victory.
Allen Jones
South Green Street church of Christ
Glasgow, KY