Perspective...to See Clearly

The Lasik eye surgery I had almost a decade ago produced instantaneous and wonderful results. Sitting up in the room at the surgery center, I looked out the window and was amazed at the vivid clarity of my vision. Color and detail came flooding into my sense of sight with a brilliance I had long ago ceased to experience. Thankfully, my distance vision has maintained that 20/20 crispness over the intervening years.

Prior to the surgery, the doctor had been very straightforward in telling me that I would be trading my distance glasses for reading glasses. For a number of those years, his prediction was not immediately forthcoming. But then, slowly and gradually, my close range vision began to deteriorate, exactly as he had said would happen. For a while I managed that by stocking up on non-prescription and inexpensive reading glasses purchased at a local dollar store. Then, if I lost a pair, which seemed to happen with some frequency, I was only out a dollar.

With the passing of time, I grew more and more frustrated with the growing lack of clarity provided by my dollar solution. So I finally bit the bullet and went to the eye doctor for prescription reading glasses, which I am wearing as I am now sitting at my computer. They are bifocals, with specific intent. The lower half is for reading range and the upper half is for computer range. And, if I look above the glasses entirely to gaze out the window, I achieve clear distance vision. In effect, I experience trifocal vision. At each distance I can see clearly.

That is the precise definition of perspective: to see clearly.

Let’s apply this to our spiritual lives. Often, we use or hear the phrase, “We need to keep matters in perspective.” Translated, that means, “We need to keep seeing matters clearly.” The assumption of that statement is that we have, or at least one time had, matters in perspective. I did not say to the eye doctor, “Doc, help me to keep seeing clearly.” Rather, I said, “I am not seeing clearly and I need to and want to see clearly.”

We no not need to try to keep our perspective. We need to gain a new perspective, a Biblical perspective, a Christ-centered perspective. You see, the fall, our sin and our resulting selfishness produces a wrong, defective and even dangerous perspective. Why would we want to keep that! As followers of Christ, we should relish the idea for getting rid of it. The old nature does not require glasses. It requires that we recognize we are blind and need to receive the gift of sight. This is best summarized by the Biblical statement in 1 John 2:16, “For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.” We never had perspective in the first place.

If you and I are going to see clearly, as the Lord intended, it will only happen as use the vision provided through our salvation in order to see life through the lens of Biblical revelation and truth.

The Word of God tells us that the Gospel is necessary to “…to open our eyes and turn us from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that we may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus” (Acts 26:18). Paul prays that the “eyes of our hearts might be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you…” (Ephesians 1:18). Hebrews encourages us to “…fix our eyes on Jesus…” (12:2).

Wisdom, biblically defined, is to see life from God’s point of view and then reordering our lives accordingly. Do not seek your perspective. Do not seek the counsel from others about their perspective. Rather, seek the Lord’s perspective through regular, disciplined and diligent reading and study of the Word of God, thereby gaining a brand new perspective.

“But we see Jesus…” (Hebrews 2:9). This is better than trifocals. The perspective – the seeing clearly – you and I need and long for, is available. Spiritual vision is provided for us to enjoy, so that we might live to the glory and praise of our Lord Jesus Christ.