Seeing Life Differently

In today’s devotional we learn that we see life a lot differently when we receive Jesus Christ as our personal savior.

 

Mark 8:22-26 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. ²³ 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?” ²⁴ He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” ²⁵ 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. ²⁶ Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.” (NIV)

 

Much of my life can be described by identifying what I’ve done in the outdoors. I started hunting in 1963, my Mom would find me hunting rabbits and doves with my pellet gun in an old field off Long Drive in SE Houston which is now Loop 610, I learned to Water Fowl Hunt in 1971. I learned to surf fish in 1972 from a friend, I shot my first Whitetail Buck in 1975 in Columbus, Texas. As I got older and more financially able I have had many more first time adventures. Along the way something that impacted me most of my life is that my eyes changed, several times. I started wearing reader glasses when I got older. Up until recently, that corrected my vision. But the years bring with them a condition known as cataracts. Yep, I have them. They cloud my vision and prevent me from seeing my surroundings clearly. The good news is, with modern surgical techniques and a skilled surgeon, the cataracts can be removed and a lens implanted, and I can get my clear vision back. Thankfully, my ability to see game animals will be restored and I will be able to live reader glasses free. The bonus is that the colors you see are very vibrant.

 

Today’s passage describes what Jesus does for us in our lives. We live in spiritual darkness because of a thing called sin. Sin clouds our vision and prevents us from seeing what the Father clearly offers us through Jesus. Sin actually makes us think that we are enjoying this sinful life to its fullest when God promises us so much more. Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection can fix that. In today’s passage, Jesus restored a man’s vision so that the man could see what was around him. More importantly, the blood of Jesus that was sacrificed on the cross can enable us to see that we need a Savior. You see, the consequences of our sin are death, more clearly described as eternal separation from the love of God. By believing in Jesus and accepting His merciful sacrifice for our sins, we can clearly see that we will spend eternity in the place that Jesus says has been prepared for us, that is, Heaven and God’s Kingdom! We will see Jesus and the Father face to face. We will know them, and they will know us! That is one vision I look forward to seeing! Once you receive Jesus life becomes more Vibrant. You see things a lot differently.

 

Wearing reader glasses made me acutely aware of my vision. Take good care of your eyes. See your optometrist regularly. When in the outdoors, especially when shooting, wear protective glasses. Wear them in the dark as well. I have personally come close to damaging my eyes by walking into tree limbs I couldn’t see.