I was remembering this morning what it was like being an eleven-year-old who couldn’t clearly see the blackboard from my desk in the classroom. It seemed like my vision had deteriorated in just a matter of weeks.
I went from getting A’s to C’s almost overnight. It was an observant teacher who told my mom she thought I needed my eyes checked. A trip to the optometrist revealed I was acutely nearsighted.
It’s hard to recall what was more troublesome, not being able to see clearly or being an pre-teen girl who now had to wear glasses, thick glasses. Choosing to see clearly won out over embarrassment.
Sitting here this morning an old hymn began filling my heart. This hymn was taken from a Irish poem in the 6th century and translated to English in the early 1900’s. It has to be read slowly to absorb the meaning because the old English can be hard to understand.
“Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
all else be nought to me, save that thou art—
thou my best thought, by day or by night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
2 Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord;
thou my great Father; thine own may I be;
thou in me dwelling, and I one with thee.
3 High King of heaven, when victory is won,
may I reach heaven’s joys, bright heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, O Ruler of all.”
If we are truly seeking clarity for soul and spirit, we need to be focused on Christ. Day or night, waking or sleeping our minds can be filled with His word.
“God has raised you with Christ to a new life. So you should want more and more the things that belong to heaven. That is where Christ is now. He sits there at God’s right side. 2 So think about the good things that are there in heaven above. Do not think only about things that are on the earth. 3 Remember that your old nature has died. God is keeping your new life safe with Christ.” Colossians 3:1-3 EASY
“Always remember what is written in that book of law. Speak about that book and study it day and night. Then you can be sure to obey what is written there. If you do this, you will be wise and successful in everything you do. 9 Remember, I commanded you to be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid, because the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:8-9 ERV
Some think of the Bible as being restrictive, filled with impossible demands and negative teachings. Not so!
Those people are vision impaired. The Bible is a love letter from a Father to His dearly loved children giving them instruction for success, joy, wisdom and courage.
“The Lord, your God, is with you. He is strong. He will save you. He will be very happy about you! He will quietly love you. He will sing, because he is so happy about you!” Zephaniah 3:17 EASY
As we go into the new year, may I suggest that we have our spiritual vision tested. Let the word of God bring life into focus so we can see the future clearly.
Be thou my vision Lord of my heart!