I can see!

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” ~C.S. Lewis

​When I was in middle school, I got my first pair of glasses. It became apparent that I needed them when I went to Barnes & Noble with my mom one day. She pointed out a magazine headline (that happened to be embarrassingly close to me) yet I could not read it. She then asked, “What do you see? What does it look like?” I replied that everything appeared blurry and I could only read the headline if I squinted very hard (and took a number of steps toward it). My vision was then tested, and it was determined that I needed glasses.

It wasn’t until my mom suggested glasses that I became aware there was something I was missing out on. Before, the world appeared cloudy, blurred, incomplete. Yet, I thought that was all there was. I had no idea how clear and beautiful the world could be.

After the eye exam, we returned to the office. My glasses had come in and the doctor wanted to make sure they fit well. I’ll never forget the moment I put my glasses on for the first time. Before trying them on, I took careful note of how everything appeared beforehand. People looked like nothing more than blurred silhouettes, colors appeared dull, and it was hard to tell when the edges of one object ended and another began. 

Sliding the glasses onto my face, I noticed that colors were far more vibrant than I had imagined. People had more detail to them than mere silhouettes. I could even see the beautiful features of my mother’s smile in. What was once blurry and indistinct now appeared brand new. The doctor proceeded to ask, “How does everything look? What can you see?” 

Overjoyed by the newfound clarity of my world, I began to shout (I was still in the doctor’s office, by the way), “I can see! I can see!” My mom and the doctor began to laugh. The entire ride home, I didn’t stop announcing, “Mom! I can see! I can see!” (I’d like to say it ended there, but my unbridled joy led to talking about it for days on end).

Back in His day, Jesus encountered a number of blind men. There’s one story in particular that resonates with me:

“They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly” (Mark 8:22-25 NIV).

Jesus touched the man’s eyes and he could see everything clearly.

I understand a little bit more about not being able to see things clearly in a physical sense. But I realized this can happen to us on a spiritual level as well.

Something we all share is God’s invitation to live a grand life. Yet, many of us have something that impedes our ability to see it. Have you ever been at a place in life in which you couldn’t see things clearly? Perhaps you are in a damaging relationship and couldn’t possibly imagine anything better for yourself. Or maybe your mental health has taken a turn for the worse and you can’t picture a brighter future. 

Before getting glasses, I became so accustomed to my way of seeing things that I couldn’t imagine how clear and beautiful the world could actually be. My literal myopic view kept me from seeing the unique and vibrant realities of the world. Our circumstances can do the same thing; they can blur our perceptions of the current reality and what may await us on the other side of them. In this way, they act like a poor lens prescription. Many of us don’t recognize the need to set these glasses down and pick up the lens God provides.

This line of thinking gets us into trouble because it can lead to settling. If you can’t picture a better way, why not stick with what’s right in front of you? Yet, God calls us to something bigger and better.

Jesus isn’t in the business of leaving us to see walking trees for the rest of our lives. He’s ready to touch our eyes and our hearts so we may clearly see the life He offers us. The funny thing about seeing the world in a brand new way is that we can’t help but share it with others, not unlike when I got my glasses. We are overcome with unbridled joy and long to tell others about our newfound hope. Jesus wants to open our eyes to a life lived with Him. He whispers in our ears: “There’s something better out there for you. This isn’t all there is. Trust me.” And when we discover this beautiful, clear, and vibrant life God has for us, it may look like us shouting to our friends, family, and neighbors: “I can see! I can see!”

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Photocred: Unsplash