“He [Jesus] turned to the disciples and said,
“Blessed are the eyes that see what you have seen.”
Luke 10:23 NLT

A friend whom I hadn’t seen for quite a few months joined our home group Wednesday night. We met face-to-face. Online. She talked about the blessings technology, which makes it possible to meet together, and about the benefits of slowing down. She had a smile on her face and a heart full of gratitude. As she talked, I felt refreshed, encouraged, and inspired. I hungered for what she had.

The next morning I knocked my spare pair of reading glasses off my computer desk. They landed on the hardwood floor and the frame split in half. Earlier in the week, the frame of my prescription reading glasses snapped in two. What was my reaction when the second pair of glasses broke? I laughed. Yes, I laughed. In. Relief.

I finally understood that I need to slow down. My eyesight is good enough so I can write without my glasses, but it’s more difficult, takes more time, and causes eye strain. So it forces me to slow down. Maybe that’s not so bad.

Maybe by slowing down, I will become more like my friend. Instead of complaining about technology, I will express gratitude for it. Instead of grumbling about the loss of face-to-face social connection in the form I prefer, I will be thankful for the connection that’s possible. In doing so, my contentment will likely increase. Maybe by slowing down, I will hear more clearly what Jesus’ words are to me about my use of energy and time during this coronavirus pandemic.

In observance of social distancing, I could put on my face mask, visit the optical center, and try to find a glasses frame that fits my intact prescription lenses. Would that be a necessary trip? Something that requires immediate attention?

I decided against it. In a month I have an appointment with my eye doctor, who can check out my vision and find out if it has changed. Why would I spend the extra money and time to find and purchase a glasses frame that I might use for only a month. No. I will put up with a bit of discomfort, focus less on reading and writing, and more on listening, moving, and thinking.


Yesterday’s beliefs
 
Like my old pair of eyeglasses,
With out-of-date frames and untrue magnifications,
They limit and distort my vision.
 
When I “look” through them my focus is blurred,
My judgment is nearsighted,
And conclusions are clearly false.
 
Even so, I keep that old directive—
Just in case my new “lenses” prove defective.
I can’t too quickly accommodate change.
 
Jane Ault
4/30/2020

15 Responses

  1. You always hit the nail on the head and give us gentle, mindful insight about what is really important in our lives. Sometimes, God gives us challenges (breaking your eyeglasses frames) to nudge you to focus on something new. You are a blessing to us that you saw the nudge for what it was and wrote about it to teach us. Thank you dear friend.
    Debbie

  2. Excellent food for thought! I, too, am often guilty of holding onto the past just in case what God has planned next for my life isn’t quite what I want. I need to remember that God has 20/20 vision and no amount of looking in the rearview mirror on my part can make up for that.

    1. Thank you for your comment, Bethany. Yes, God has 20/20 vision regarding both the past and the future. How wonderful that he stands outside of time, yet enters into in as we invite him to be with us in every moment of our lives.

  3. Sometimes it does take the Lord forcing a slowdown. Yesterday I was taking my dog for a walk to a park we used to drive through on the way to swimming lessons when my kids were little. The park had a long driveway with several sped bumps along the way. My daughter commented on how she remembered those speed bumps and hated them. They were irritating because they were uncomfortable to hit but mostly because they slowed us down. I appreciate the speed bumps the Lord gives us along the way as a reminder to stop and listen and dwell in his presence, even if they can be a little irritating at times.

    1. Thank you for your comment, Dawn. Speed bumps do illustrate our need to slow down. I will work on appreciating the Lord’s speed bumps.

  4. “I will put up with a bit of discomfort, focus less on reading and writing, and more on listening, moving, and thinking.” Jane, your ending sentence really resonated with me! Thank you for your insight, patience, and ability to share God’s truths in ways that I can easily understand. You have a listening ear!

    1. Thank you for your comment, Laurell. It’s been my constant prayer that God would give me illustrations and words which convey the truths of his Word with simplicity and clarity. I ask him to let me hear what he hears and see what he sees. He is patiently teaching me what this means.

  5. Dear Jane, I love how you humbly accept the lessons this strange time is bringing you, and share the wisdom that comes from such acceptance. You ask really important questions! ❤️

    1. Thank you, Jean. I guess I am a questioner by nature. I’m so glad that questions are acceptable to God, and he actually invites us to ask them, especially when we need wisdom. And we surely need it now. “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” James 1:5 NLT

  6. Thank you Jane! Your patient example brings to mind two important truths for 2020:”In everything give thanks” and “blessed are the flexible, for they will not get bent out of shape“❤️

    1. Haha! Donna, I love your sense of humor. Thanks for reading my post and, again, offering encouragement.

  7. Thanks for the “insight” Jane…very true and we appreciate how you process the everyday and make it relevant to all our lives!

    1. Thank you, Diane, for your comment. My desire and prayers are for eyes that see, ears that hear, and a heart that responds to the messages Jesus speaks in my daily life.

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