For those of you who wear glasses, you'll understand the dilemma I was in one day last week. I came to work and was rummaging in my purse for my eyeglass case. No matter how much stuff I removed from the cavernous pit, the case was nowhere to be seen. The night before I was working on a project, and I didn't put the glass case back in my purse. So a quick trip to purchase another set of reading glasses at one of the area "dime stores" was a necessity if I was to get any reading or writing accomplished that day.

We read about a young man in John, chapter 9, who didn't have the luxury of going to an area store for glasses to correct his vision problem. This young man, born without sight, met Christ as he was sitting by the temple gates and heard a question asked by one of the disciples, a question he had probably heard countless times already. "Was it the sin of his parents or his sin that caused him to be blind?" I'm sure he once again felt the rejection, the ridicule, and the uncertainty that surrounded this question. He probably wondered what was meant by the answer Christ gave, "You ask the wrong question. You're looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do." (The Message) Wow! Can you imagine the look of befuddlement on the disciples and this young man's face upon hearing an answer they weren't expecting?

But Christ wasn't worried about the look on their faces. He went to work doing what He was meant to do. He went about healing the man in what we would consider to be an unorthodox healing; through dust, spit, and a command to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam. And that is just what he did. As the water was dripping off his face, he saw a variety of colors, through nature, clothing, and people. He saw the sights that he had only been able to imagine for so many years. His visual acuity was a perfect 20/20!

"Look instead for what God can do." What powerful words! We have the opportunity to see a variety of earthly blessings: children playing, a smile, and the colors of the fall season. However, no matter how much Christ's presence and words have the potential to enhance our vision of His kingdom, we daily choose to not put on the lenses that could bring everything into focus. Sin blinds us on the path to Him.

Glasses are an important necessity. They make the unclear clear. The lenses focus blurry images into crisp pictures. My lack of perfect eyesight is corrected through a variety of lenses. My inability to perfectly see the cross has been fixed by the shedding of Christ's blood on the cross. It's an awesome sight to see, and I invite you to join me in sharing the vision of the cross with others!

Enjoying the ride,

Jane