Do we see what God wants us to see?
I’ve noticed that I don’t see as well lately. It’s amazing what that does to my perception of the church world.
In a recent church newsletter, I read the following information: “recycle your quarters,” “Sunday School kiss-off,” and “camels of the congregation.” I know we have a variety of people in our church, but I sure didn’t know we had camels.
I already own two pairs of glasses — one for regular life and one for life at the computer. Neither seem to work very well. But when I went whining to my eye doctor, she said new glasses wouldn’t help. My visual fuzziness seems to be caused by developing cataracts.
Good vision is important for us as Christians, isn’t it? But I don’t necessarily mean what we see with the eyes in our heads. What I mainly mean is vision developed out of our brains and hearts. Our “brain vision” is a sense of purpose, an ability to understand where we want to go. Each church needs a vision, a specific list of reasons for being. A church need not just be a building with people in it who come to the services each Sunday and then go home until the next Sunday. Is that how God would want us to see the church’s purpose? How about “to grow as Christians, to serve others, and make disciples”?
As well as a “brain vision,” we also need “heart vision.” That means to see the way God wants us to see as individual Christians. The Apostle Paul prayed that the Ephesians “have the eyes of their understanding opened” (1:18). A praise song has the lines “open the eyes of my heart, Lord…I want to see you.” That is, I want to know God’s true values and experience all His blessings.
The Zulu greeting “I see you” is a way of saying I not only acknowledge your existence, but I see you the way God sees you. Do we see the way God wants us to see?