Sight....

He then answered, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”  John 9:25

Vision...amazing. I am recovering from cataract surgery and am amazed at how much clearer and colorful  things appear. 

   During the process of considering surgery, being anxious beforehand of the procedure, and now healing and having new vision, I have come to ponder several things.

  The first item is how often patients (myself included) take our doctors for granted. We expect  them to find out quickly what is wrong with us and "fix" it.  We are disappointed, even disgruntled, when our doctors can't figure it out, or the fix takes too long or is not perfect. We have forgotten who our doctor is, the years of study, exams, sacrifice, money and practice it took to make him the person we trust our lives with. Our sight with.

   The second is how physicians, too, may take patients for granted. After practicing medicine for many years, where it seems second nature, they may get tired of complaining patients, long hours, administrative issues, staffing problems and all the other things involved with work life. They may have forgotten how they toiled to get where they are and how very significant their gift of healing is.

    The third is how I recognize, appreciate and am grateful for my surgeon's special skill, the lengthy path it took to achieve it, and giving me, personally, new sight.

      Lastly, and most importantly, I am thankful to the Lord. He not only gave the doctor those sight saving skills and the desire to use them, but He gave me new spiritual eyes when He saved me twenty-five years ago.  Back then with no cataracts, I could see but was totally blind to Him. Not only blind, but spiritually dead, destined for hell. But, at a moment in time, when I least expected it, and was not really searching for Him, He saved such a wretch as me and gave me new sight.  20/20 spiritual vision. For eternity. 

   

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! 

 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR? 

 Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN? 

 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:33-36

Remedy for fear...resting in the Lord

Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.Proverbs 3:5 

  Today I go for cataract surgery.  This is supposed to be an easy eight minute procedure that will allow me to see clearly again, instead of looking through the "wax" paper vision that I have been struggling with. Why am I anxious, fearful, fretting, worried that I will be blind?  Conjuring up all sorts of morbid scenarios of the doctor's hand slipping as he cuts my cornea, that I will move unexpectedly and jar his hand, that I will be allergic to the medication and have a bad reaction. On and on my mind reels with fear. I know the remedy, so why don't I grab hold of Him who is the cure for all fear and anxiety? I need to rest in Him, the author and perfecter of my faith, who holds all things together by the power of His word, who loves me and will never let me go, who promises eternal life with Him where there is no more pain, no tears, no sorrow. 

   Jesus, the lover of my soul, my savior, Almighty Holy God. He who has granted everything I need pertaining to life and Godliness. He who saved such a wretch like me. 

   This life is so temporary and then eternity in the presence of Him forever. Why does fear grip me? 

So, I pray that the Lord, today would grant me His peace that is there for my taking. No matter what the results of my eye surgery, one day I will see Him clearly just as He has always seen me. Praise Him. Amen. 

Joy at the finish line.

Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing 
that the testing of your faith produces patience.  James 1:2-3

   When I ponder James’s comment concerning suffering, it is hard to accept. God uses our suffering and hardship to develop perseverance and build our faith?  And this is to bring joy? How?
   To see these trials produce results in our lives, we need to undergo a radical reorientation.  Cultural critic Francis Schaeffer observed that most of us supremely value “personal peace and affluence.”  Anything that gets in the way of those values is, to say the least, unwelcome. That is me!  But in the Kingdom of God, those things aren’t all that valuable, and in fact, they can get in the way of what God truly values.  He treasures our faith in Him through thick and thin, but He knows faith is built most effectively in times of difficulty.  For that reason, God, our loving and attentive Father, allows or orchestrates problems in our lives so that we learn to trust Him.
    I need to fix my eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of my faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross. Scorning its shame......(Heb 12)
    Every obstacle, every annoyance, and every genuine heartache in our lives is part of God’s curriculum to produce persistent, tenacious, rich, deep trust in Him.  Patience isn’t killing time until we experience more personal peace and affluence.  It’s riveting our affections on God and His purposes every moment of every day.
  I pray for the ability to lean on Him....at all times...and find joy in Him at the finish line.