Seeing Through New Eyes

The Lord desires for us to see with spiritual eyes, and He has given us His word to clarify and enhance our vision.   Here's what 2 Corinthians 4 says:
17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

God gives us the ability, by His Word and through His Holy Spirit, to see with spiritual eyes - to view our lives, our relationships, the daily challenges and decisions we face, and the world around us - from His perspective.   If we are looking at things through His eyes, through the redeemed perspective from a resurrected life, it changes the way we approach life.

Jesus talked about seeing with spiritual eyes in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 6:
22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!


Last week, the techie world was captivated by the release of a video by Google unveiling its new "augmented reality glasses", which could be released by the end of the year.   According to PC World, in the "Project Glass" video, a man only using his voice and other inputs does things commonly handled by smartphones, such as scheduling meetings, taking pictures, checking the weather, getting directions, and placing a video call. The difference is instead of having to hold a device in your hand, the data you need hovers in your field of view.

An actual prototype of these Google glasses was worn by Google co-founder Sergey Brin in San Francisco at an event the next day.

So, if I'm understanding the concept here, your field of vision is enhanced because of these glasses - for instance, if you're trying to go somewhere, you will actually see a map of your route and the geography right there in your glasses.   You will have access to certain information sources and presumably a broader range of tools that can be helpful to you - not at your fingertips, but before your very eyes.

Sometimes we need a fresh perspective, a new set of eyes - and the Word of God can enhance our spiritual vision.   And, that is integrated into the story of the resurrection:   the angel appeared to the women as the went to the tomb that day and saw the stone rolled away - their vision was shifted, enhanced really, and they remembered that Jesus had said that He would die AND rise from the dead.   Peter and John came running to the tomb, and their vision was shifted.   The two men to whom Jesus appeared on the road to Emmaus had a  dramatic experience - Jesus walked with them, they discussed the story of the things that had happened, and when they arrived at the destination, they saw who Jesus was.

The resurrection, the new life we have in Christ, enables us to see with that new set of eyes.  With a new heart, transformed because we have been saved, comes a new perspective, and we can see life and the world around us through spiritual eyes.   Where there was disappointment and disillusionment, there is now hope.   Where we were relying on ourselves, we now are able to see how dependence on God can change our lives.   As we search for truth, we can clearly see God's truth, illumined by the Holy Spirit.   Through Christ, our vision and how we see the world is shifted.