Fresh Vision

We just got back from visiting family for the holidays, which means I have one day to unpack, put everyone’s Christmas presents away (the decorations will have to wait), and try to get everything organized before the kids start back to school. I’m upstairs getting ready, mentally reviewing my to-do list, when I remember a conversation my husband and I had just a couple days ago. 

“Man, my one eye is really bothering me again,” I complained for the third day in a row. 

“Why?” 

Shrugging, “I probably need to change my contacts. It’s always my right eye that starts hurting when they get old. I can’t really remember the last time I changed them.”

This conversation happens more frequently than I'd like to admit. Sometimes, it’s inadvertent. Time slips by and before I know it, my eyes are gritty and I’m wondering when I last changed them and how far past the month expiration date I am. Other times, I reach the end of the month, and I think to myself It’s no big deal to keep using them for a few more days. My eyes feel fine and they’re expensive–I might as well make them last. 

And perhaps worst of all, there are times I’ll realize I’ve gone too long, but I’m too busy in the middle of something else or I don’t want to get off schedule–I’d inevitably forget the next day I’m supposed to change them next month. I’ll deal with the discomfort rather than change them mid-month. I have a plan and, for better or worse, I’m sticking to it. 

This instance falls under category three. Rather than changing them then, I told myself I’d wait until we got back. Well, here we are, and there’s no time like the present. As I reach for the box of new contacts, this question pops into my head: Why are you trying to see through an old lens? If you want to see clearly, you need a fresh lens.

A fresh lens = clear vision

Okay God, I read you loud and clear, and there at the bathroom counter, I started thinking about how this applies to our walk with God. Time spent reading God’s word–the big revelations and small nudges you receive from him–are always applicable, but sometimes we can be guilty of trying to make it stretch beyond what it is meant to. We get busy with life, our to-do lists, our New Year goals, and suddenly we look up and wonder why we’re overwhelmed, burned out, or struggling to keep up. When was the last time we really met with God? Really heard his voice and received direction from him?

We aren’t meant to survive on the occasional encounter with God, either thinking we’re good for a little longer or gritting it out until the next time we have an uninterrupted hour. We are meant to thrive on regular interaction with him, no matter how much or little time we have. Each encounter, any time, is significant.

I think about how clear things are when I switch to new contacts. Sometimes I don’t even recognize how fuzzy things have become until I put that new pair in. Are you seeing things clearly, through the lens of His Word, freshly applied, or has your vision become blurry without even realizing it?

Before we really take off out of the gate and hit the ground running on this new year, spend some time with God and make it your goal to prioritize it consistently this year. Let him give you fresh perspective on the ongoing situation you’re dealing with. Let him restore clarity to the things that have become muddled. Start your year with fresh vision from him.