20/20

I wish I could see better.

Over the years, things have gone from 20/20…to slightly out of focus…to more noticeably out of focus…to blurry…to “I have no idea what it says!”

I started with over-the-counter reading glasses which had a magnification of 100.  Then I upped it to a magnification of 150…and up…and up.

Right now, I’m at magnification 250…and still going.

At one time, I wore glasses only when reading small print.  Then, only when reading all print.

Now, I find myself squinting at other times too, which sends me scurrying for my glasses again…like when I watch TV…or when I sit down to eat.

There is one thing I can see plainly, though…the day is fast approaching when I will need a “real” pair of glasses from a “real” eye doctor.

Which is a real shame, because there is nothing I like about wearing glasses.

I don’t like shopping for them.

I don’t like paying for them.

I don’t like trying to keep them clean.

I don’t like trying to find them when I need them.

I don’t like the way they fit on my crooked head.

I don’t like the way they look on my crooked head.

I don’t like carrying them around wherever I go.

I don’t like it when they break.

And do not talk to me about contacts…I try to avoid sticking things in my eyes, like my fingers, or a little round piece of whatever contacts are made out of.  To me, it seems like putting in contacts would be about the same as putting rocks in my eyes!

Laser surgery?  There’s another whole list of things I don’t like about that idea, so don’t get me started.

I get frustrated because I just can’t see things anymore without glasses.

My eyes can’t do the job on their own.

Thankfully, there are still some things that I don’t need glasses to “see” at all.

Because I don’t see them with my eyes…I see them with my heart.

I don’t need glasses to see a beautiful day.  I can feel it.

I don’t need glasses to see the seasons change from winter to spring.  I can smell it.

I don’t need glasses to see a concert that uplifts my soul.  I can hear it.

I don’t need glasses to see a delicious dessert.  I can taste it.

I don’t need glasses to see my love for my children.  I can express it.

And I don’t need glasses to see how much God loves me.  I know it.

The problem is, we are not very good about seeing with our hearts.  We have learned to see with our eyes only.

We can only believe what we see with “our own two eyes.”

And as a result, we miss so much.

That was the problem Jesus’ disciples had when they saw, with their own two eyes, what happened to Jesus on the cross.

They saw, with their own two eyes, the end of all their hopes and dreams about Jesus being the Messiah, who would establish an eternal kingdom during their lifetimes.

They saw, with their own two eyes, the power of the religious leaders, political leaders, and military soldiers overcome the power of their belief in Jesus.

They saw, with their own two eyes, a man who was bleeding, suffering, and dying.

And they did not know how to handle it.

If only they could have seen with their hearts instead of their eyes that day.

Then they would have seen the Son of God who was not defeated on the cross, but who was victorious there.

They would have seen the sacred Lamb of God who shed His blood on their behalf and accepted their sins so He could also forgive them and offer them eternal salvation.

They would have seen the fulfillment of every Old Testament prophecy about the coming Messiah and the culmination of everything Jesus had come to earth to do…all completed perfectly according to God’s plan.

They would have seen an empty tomb on the horizon.

And they would have seen hope for the world.

As it was, it took them from Good Friday until Easter Sunday before they could see the cross with their hearts instead of their eyes…

…it would take His resurrection.

Here is how two of Jesus’ followers were changed when they realized with their hearts that their eyes had deceived them…

…they were walking along a road from Jerusalem to Emmaus after the crucifixion when a man came up to them and started a conversation about what had happened.

Although they did not recognize Him at the time, the stranger was actually Jesus…

“When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.  Then their EYES were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.

They asked each other, ‘Were not our HEARTS burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?’

They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem.  There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, ‘It is true!  The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.’

Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was RECOGNIZED by them when he broke the bread.”  (Luke 24:30-35, NIV)

When you look at Jesus, what do you see?

Is He just a character in the Bible to you?

Is He a crutch that weak people lean on to prop them up in the world today?

Is He a convenient charm that gives people more confidence?

Or, is He the First and the Last, the Alpha and the Omega, the Prince of Peace, the Bread of Life, the Living Water, and the Savior of your soul?

It all depends on how you see Him…

…whether you see Him with your eyes only

…or with your heart.

One may require glasses.

The other requires your life.