Corrective Lenses

I’ve been so focused on the fine print of life that when I look up to see what is ahead, my vision of the future is blurred and my head begins to throb. I need to visit an eye specialist for help with my lack of perception. As I sit in this doctor’s chair and peer at his chart, he asks, “What do you see?”

It’s all dark and fuzzy, and all I can see is a big solitary X, as the future is a completely unknown variable.

“Here, put these on and tell me what you see,” he says, handing me a pair of glasses with rose-colored lenses to try.

“Okay,” I reply. I can make out ...

D O N ’T W O R R Y B E H A P P Y

Making some notes, he says, “All right, go ahead and read the next line.”

L I F E I S G O O D

“And now the smaller ones below that.”

I can’t make them out at all.

“Let’s try these lenses instead,” the doctor says. The frames are a sunny yellow and these lenses are clear. I take them and vaguely notice some cartoon character on the side. Balancing them on my nose, I read ...

YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT’S AROUND THE BEND
A BIG ADVENTURE OR A BRAND NEW FRIEND

Taking off the glasses and looking at them, I find Curious George smiling up at me. “Um, I think these are meant for children, as the field of vision is pretty small,” I say, handing them back to the doctor. “My mind and experience level is a bit broader now, so these aren’t going to fit. I don’t think these flimsy plastic lenses will be powerful enough to give me the clarity I need.”

“Mmm hmm ... Okay. Now, let’s try these lenses.”

The glasses he places in my hand are minus colored lenses or flimsy composition. Putting them on, I find that they fit securely and that the lenses are large enough to enhance my entire field of vision. The future ahead of me clearly comes into focus as I move to the next line of the chart.

I A M W I T H Y O U A L W A Y S

“That’s right. Go on.”

G O D I S I N C O N T R O L

“And the next line?”

“That’s it,” I reply. “I've reached the bottom line.”

“Yes, yes you have,” agrees my optometrist.

“Would you be interested in using these lenses? They are part of our truth collection, and we’ve found them to be the very best lenses for accurate, clear vision. You’ll notice the special engraving on the rims.”

Along the top of the frames I read, “I am the Lord, I change not” (Malachi 3:6), and along the bottom, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

When I take them off and peer again towards the future, I see nothing but a big X. There is no way I can successfully keep moving forward, with all the changes of life, with such limited vision. What has been offered to me is exactly what I need. I'll take them!