Visual Clarity

Josh Bell
Written By Jeff Rybacki
 

22 And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 23 And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” 25 Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Mark 8:22-25 (ESV)

This week I was randomly reflecting on times when I have driven through a dense fog.  In those situations as you drive down the road you can barely see what’s in front of you or around you and you may wonder if an obstacle like another car or deer may seemingly appear out of nowhere and potentially cause you to crash.  Or we may feel like we are going to miss a turn or run a stop sign.  In these conditions we tend to slow down, become more attentive, and naturally become more cautious or fearful. 

But, on days like that as the early morning fades into late morning or afternoon the sun comes out and burns the fog away thus revealing clear skies and most often eventually presents a beautiful day.  I feel like life can be like this most of the time.  As we navigate through life’s challenges and obstacles our vision can seem cloudy and foggy.  We wonder if we are doing the right thing, going in the right direction, making good choices, or if something bad may be lurking around the corner.  When we rely on our own desires and intuition in times like these we more often than not make poor choices­­­­. 

As we read the passage in Mark 8-22-25 we can see that we are very much like the blind man of Bethsaida.  Apart from God we “cannot see” we do not truly know what is right or wrong, we do not make the right choices, we essentially worship ourselves because that is all we can see.  Our vision is darkened by the inward focus on ourselves and our desires.  But as God starts to work in our lives and the Spirit of God begins to change us, we start seeing more clearly.  In our early faith walk our vision is still blurry, obscured by the fog of worldliness, but as time passes and the sanctification process begins cultivating spiritual maturity we start to see very clearly.  

Just like when the early fog is out, and the sun eventually burns it away the Word of God does the same in our hearts and minds.  Jesus, the true Son, burns away the pride, the selfishness, the anger, the fear, the doubts, and every other area of our sinful nature.  We then begin to see the Son shine and all that is around us in proper, godly perspective.  We begin to clearly see the truth.  In the light of God’s truth, we start making the right decisions, we can see the obstacles of life and avoid them or navigate through them.  We can know where we are going, we can make the right stops and turns, and eventually make it safely to our destination. 

As we go throughout the week, I want to encourage all of us, including myself, to be faithfully immersed in God’s Word.  To be steadfast in prayer.  To remain committed to the pursuit of all that is right and good.  Keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus so as to drown out the feelings and emotions that so quickly entangle us, lie to us, and deceive us.  In the wholehearted pursuit of Christ, the fogginess will fade away, we will see clearly, and He will faithfully bring about the good that He desires to accomplish through us.  


Jeff Rybacki
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