"There's More to See"
Sep. 13, 2019
For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.
~ Ephesians 5:8 (ESV)
Surgical techniques developed over the years have made it possible for some people, blind from birth, to see for the first time. What a miracle! What a blessing from God!
But a mixed blessing, to be sure. Physicians who performed early surgeries of this type soon discovered that not every person whose sight could be restored would truly benefit from it. Not everyone could adjust to vision after 20, 30, or 40 years of using their other senses to compensate for their blindness.
One doctor who studied such patients noted that when asked to do relatively difficult tasks like climbing a flight of stairs, for example, they closed their eyes at the last minute before performing the task. Then they walked up safely. The old way of doing things felt safer, more comfortable.
Upon reflection, it is easy to understand why this might be so. Thinking in a different direction, we might discover that we do something very much like this in our spiritual lives—and with drastic consequences.
By God's grace, His children enjoy the blessings of spiritual vision. The Bible says that once we were darkness, but now we are light in the Lord. The Holy Spirit goes on to urge us to walk as children of the light.
But situations arise in which we are tempted to close our eyes as we walk. We confront problems, and it is more comfortable to revert back to our old way of looking at things, to see things from a merely human point of view.
Our eyes have been opened to the shortness of the time available to us before the night comes, before the Day when our Lord returns and brings judgment to the nations.
Our eyes have been opened to the rich promises of God, to the impossibility that He will ever fail His children.
Our eyes and been opened to the excellence that He has placed within us by His Holy Spirit—an excellence He has commissioned us to use in service to those around us.
Our eyes have been opened to the power of His grace, both to justify and to sanctify us.
Our eyes are open, but we can choose to close them. We can choose to look at people and at situations as the world does.
God's Spirit will not peel back our spiritual eyelids by force. He will not strong-arm individual believers or even whole congregations into using the spiritual insight He has given. He will not force us to see.
But what a tragedy if we, His people, waste the vision He so brightly gives! What a tragedy if we stumble in dim-sighted mediocrity when, in generous exchange, He holds out to us abundant life and excellence.
Once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Don't close your eyes to it! Live as children of light.
THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, the light has come in Your Son Jesus Christ. Illumine our lives with the light of life. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
- Do you find your faith acting like a "sense" in respect to the way you live and respond to the world?
- Walking as children of light can be hard sometimes. Do you use any tools or resources to keep your focus sharp and your mind fixed on Jesus?
- How can the light in your life illumine the path for someone else?
From The Lutheran Layman, "Now I See!" by Jane Fryar. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
Do you find your faith acting like a "sense" in respect to the way you live and respond to the world?
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