What Do You See?

I have 20/20 vision. Well, at a distance I do. Seeing things clearly up close is another matter altogether. This is my collection of readers that I strategically scatter throughout our home. Without them my day-to-day existence would be a struggle. Dinner would be a disaster —does that recipe ask for 1t or 1T of salt? I could create a relationship fiasco —did she say in that text that I was pretty or petty?! And, my joy of learning through reading would be displaced by frustration, headaches and fatigue; I’d end my days as dumb as a box of rocks.

I’m not sure about you but over the past two years, my vision of the future sometimes became blurred. Between the dim light cast on our society, the need for an ever-changing prescription created by COVID, and the blindness of our politicians, I only saw a world collapsing. After a few months of this I realized I could either stay in this state, focusing on the doom and gloom, or I could consciously look for the hope and opportunity these conditions presented.

Those of you who have read my books know that I’ve done this before; our family has seen dark days—days when I had to examine my faith through a microscopic lens. During that time, many scriptures served as my escort but this asked of me, ‘Ellen, what do you choose’?

“Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a musty cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!” Matthew 6:22-23 The Message

To live abundantly, is not to be blind to our challenges but to elect the way we see them. God turned not only our difficult situation into something good but he changed the way I would forever look at life’s challenges.

If squinting is preventing you from living abundantly, open your eyes. Let in the light. You’ll be amazed at what you see.