Lenses for the Heart

Ephesians 1:16–19a

"I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe…"

Well one of our first major tasks in settling into Germany is almost done.  We have registered Molly and gotten her a German dog license.  We have opened a German bank account. A little over a month ago we received our two year German residency card.  Thanks Marion Waidlein.  The next step is getting our German Driver’s license.  This should have been the simplest part.  Yet this is where ran into a problem. I flunked the eye exam.   Where Linda saw everything clearly I saw only a blurr.   I need new glasses.  It’s amazing what a good set of lenses makes. Life goes from slightly blurred to crystal clear. 

It strikes me that in the same way a good set of spiritual lenses can make big difference in how we see life. That’s why Paul in Ephesians 1 prays that the Father would give the Ephesians “the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know the hope to which He has called you…” 

Let me give you one example of the difference a good set of spiritual lenses can make.  There was man sitting at the bedside of his wife as she dies of cancer.  Their son sat on the other side of the bed.  As she died there were tears and silence from both of them Suddenly however, the husband raised in his fist in triumph and said, “The cancer didn't win.”  The son was incredulous.  He was furious.  “What do you mean the cancer didn't win?  Of course the cancer won.  Mom is dead.  How can you say that?”  But the father was undeterred   “No it didn't son. The cancer didn't win.  Because of Jesus the cancer couldn't win.” The father was looking through the lenses of faith in Jesus Christ.  Looking at his wife’s death through the death and resurrection of Jesus the father could see clearly that he, his wife and his son were more than conquerors even at the moment of death.  By faith the father was able to clearly see the day his wife, the mother of his son would be raised to life again in Christ… and they would all stand victorious before His throne. 

You know I have known for a while that these glasses needed replacing.  I was just too cheap to admit it.  Think about that and then ask yourself, what is it that keeps you from admitting you need new spiritual lenses for your heart?  Is it the pride that can’t admit your wrong?  Is it some desire like greed or lust that simply doesn't want to let go of some sinful behavior?  I remember one woman for whom it was fear.  She was so afraid of life in this world without her husband that even 2 years after his death she refused take off the lenses of grief.  While grief is very normal, her grief had begun to blurr how she saw everything.  Do you know what finally healed her?  Jesus gently replaced her glasses… His Spirit, the one Paul prayed for, went to work in her heart… helped her once again to see life through the lenses of faith … opened her heart to see that the hope Christ won on Easter morning is one even death cannot take away.  What a difference it makes when we can finally admit we’ve been wearing the wrong glasses and start seeing life clearly through the lenses of faith… of grace, forgiveness and hope in Christ.  Life suddenly becomes clear again!