I was blind, but now I see!
For most of my life I have enjoyed relatively good health, very little issues. Sadly that is changing as I begin to get older. About 9 months ago, I began to experience slight difficulty reading small print. I must have looked quite funny, often moving objects closer and further from my eyes until I could focus in on the words.
As the months moved on, I began to get really frustrated, even reading the newspaper began to be a challenge. Finally, I broke down and wen to the optometrist. What do you expect? Yep it is time for glasses. Apparently when you hit your mid-forties, the eyesight is one of the first things to start deteriorating. Fortunately it was not too bad, but now I have a pair of reading glasses, and must wear then to read.
So why tell you all that? Amazingly, when I put on my new glasses, I began to see such detail. Not only were the words clear, but I could fine detail in everything I looked at. Then I realized that how over time as my vision began to change the changes were so subtle that I never realized what I was loosing focus of, until I reached the point of not seeing alot of things at all!
I’d love to say that my eyesight was the only area of my life that was like that, but truth be told, I feel like most of my like is like that. I know my failed marriage was like that, living life I failed to notice the slight changes in my marriage until one day it was over. My spiritual life is much the same. As I roll along, going to church each week, reading the Bible, praying, caring for others , etc., I realized that I was again, missing much of the detail, kinda like the apostle said “having a form of Godliness, but denying the power of it!”
As I thought about that, I looked up that scripture, here is the full context (2 Timothy 3 1-5): But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
Man! talk about hitting home! As I read that it was like a checklist of my life. NO, not everything on the list, but even one item puts me on that list. Then my heart saddend as I read that statement – Have nothing to do with such people. Wow! That’s a lot to consider, more than I really wanted to. I just wanted to be able to see better!
Truth is, I think I am seeing more clearly today, here is my thoughts:
Lovers of themselves – Check – I like treating myself, little indulgences that make me feel good about me!
Lovers of money – Check – Amazing how my focus is a lot on what I have and what I can get, and especially how to keep others from getting it from me!
Boastful – Check (but only sometimes 🙂 ) – I love to think and talk about how smart and skilled I am, I love to talk about me!
Proud – Check – I want recognition, I dont want to admit my weaknesses or failures
Abusive – ?? – thats a tough one, I dont think I am, but If i think on it, there are probably things and people I dont treat well.
Disobedient to parents – Nope – I am ok on this one, doesn’t mean I always was. I can remember a time when I was. Now I live several thousand miles away and my dad is deceased so.
Ungrateful – Check – Man this hits me all the time. I want a nice house of my own, yet i have a good house to live in. I want a better job, yet I make more than I need to survive. I want a new car, yet my car runs great and hardly ever needs repair. Etc. Etc. Etc. too many things like this.
Unholy – Check – Holiness! Wow I miss the mark so far on this one, just in my thoughts alone, not even considering my actions.
Without Love – Check – This is a tough one, as i believe it includes compassion and mercy!
Unforgiving – Check – Again a tough one. I want to be forgiving, but the heart hearts so much some days and the anger festers.. Really pray for me on this one.
Slanderous – Dont think so – I think I am ok with this one, I live such an isolated life not much to gossip about!
Without Self Control – Check – I bump against this one alot in many areas.
Brutal – No – I dont see myself as brutal, probably quite the opposite on this one.
Not lovers of the good – ??? – Perhaps this one, as I consider some of my choices these days tend to not be good.
Treacherous – No – I think I am a safe person, but some might disagree.
Rash – Sometimes – Somethings I find I am very patient and long-suffering, and others — Get it Now!
Conceited – Check – I once thought I was conceited, but conceit is a fault, and i have none! 🙂
Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – Check – Not even going to comment here.
So there you have it. As I list them out – bad eyesight! How about you, how would you answer these? I want to see clearly!
Amazing Grace . . . . I once was blind but now I see!
blessings.
