This was the thought You birthed in me this morning, Lord, as I rode my bicycle in the early-morning dew. It was not a new thought. People have been having this same insight for… what, Lord? Thousands of years?
But it isn’t the “take” Doubting Thomas made famous.
“Unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand in His side, I will not believe.” (John 20:28)
For Thomas, seeing was believing. But this morning’s thought was the opposite:
Believing is seeing.
Because our eyesight is not bound by the accuracy of dimensions like distance clarity, depth perception and peripheral vision. Our eyes “see” through the lens of our Belief.
It’s why two people can view the exact same situation and come away with totally different perceptions. It’s why we can judge others and “go easy” on ourselves. We see their actions and assume the worst… so we Take Offense. We justify our own actions because of our intentions… and expect Understanding.
But who are we really fooling?
“What you do speaks so loudly I cannot hear what you say.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” (Luke 6:45)
I wore contact lenses for thirty years… until that Dry Eye Syndrome made it impossible for me to continue. Although I would still prefer those contacts, Lord, I am SO THANKFUL for glasses!!! Without them, my world would be very small indeed!
But I could see perfectly without correction and still be Blind as a Bat… couldn’t I, Lord? Because if what I believe is causing me to stumble through Life, it isn’t my eyes that need examining.
“The eye is the lamp of the body… If your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:22-23)
“I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the Light of Life.” (John 8:12)
Following You, Lord…
Grateful to be seen — truly Seen — and loved — truly Loved…
Longing to see — truly see — and love — truly love…
Abba’s Girl