Watching Through the Lens of Faith ~ Valerie Ronald

 

                                                                                     photo credit - Pixabay

I was assured having a cataract removed from my eye was a quick, painless surgery. The process was explained, but I still found it a stressful experience to have my eye numbed, then operated on while I was awake and still able to see. With my head immobilized in a headrest and my eyelid propped open, all I could see were bright, blurry lights bouncing in my vision. I saw a tiny surgical instrument coming toward my eye and felt the pressure while the eye surgeon worked, though no pain. I was thankful for the mild sedation that helped me not to panic. For the next few days the vision of the affected eye was blurry and distorted, then gradually it began to clear. The surgeon not only removed the cataract, he also inserted a lens implant that helped me see better. Soon he will do the same in my other eye. Although I will still need to wear glasses for far vision, I am looking forward to clearer near vision for reading and computer work. 

As a believer, I write through the lens of my faith in Jesus Christ. When I believed Jesus to be the Son of God and accepted Him by faith, I began to see things differently. Like the clearer vision I enjoy since cataract surgery, my spiritual eyes were opened to things that I previously didn't have the capacity to gain a full understanding of through natural means. 

Now, through the lens of faith, I see the perfection of God’s plans and purposes and my spiritual vision gains clarity. As Jesus proclaimed in the synagogue when He first began His ministry, “He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18 NIV) He wasn’t referring only to the physically blind, imprisoned or oppressed but to the greater urgency of those who need their souls set free and their spiritual sight recovered. Jesus came to do exactly that. 

When I write with the eyes of faith, God helps me see more than what appears on the surface. I see hurting hearts in need of words of comfort and hope. I see those lost on the wrong path looking for direction out of their darkness. My eyes of faith have caught sight of the glory of the Lord, so I search for words to describe how beautiful He is, words revealing a glimpse of His perfection, majesty and love so others will want to see Him too. 

The common idiom, “seeing through rose-colored glasses” means seeing only the positive view of something and not the negative. Jesus looks at people through love-colored glasses, although He knows everything about them, good and bad. He sees them through the eyes of love because each person is His unique creation, flawed and sinful, yet precious to Him. If I can view others from His perspective with eyes of love rather than judgment, seeking their well-being, loving them in spite of their flaws, then I will have a small sense of how He sees me. I don’t deserve a brief glance from Him yet He gazes on me with such love, I am brought to my knees by it.  

What it comes down to is that watching the world through the lens of faith isn’t just about watching, it’s about doing. When we see more clearly those Jesus came to die for then we feel compelled to reach out to them, care for them, love them, by the power of His Spirit within us. Writing about Him is a way of loving them. Our words have the potential to paint a picture of the One who loves them most and knows them best. When we write about our own encounters with Jesus and how He has given us a new way to see, we are offering hope to those who are spiritually blind.  

The lens of faith not only sharpens our focus on Jesus, it also helps us to see others as He does, through eyes of compassionate love.  

We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us! (1 Cor. 13:13 The Message)

 Valerie Ronald writes from an old roll top desk in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, with her tortoiseshell cat for a muse. A graduate of Langara College School of Journalism, she writes devotionals, fiction and inspirational prose. Her purpose in writing is to encourage others to grow in their spiritual walk.