Lately I’ve been living with a frustrating physical problem.     You see, I noticed about two weeks ago that I was struggling to see clearly.  At first I thought my sunglasses had a stubborn something on them that I just couldn’t polish off.  Then I noticed that my reading glasses weren’t doing their job.  Frustrated, I went to the store and purchased a stronger pair.   I  then realized the problem wasn’t my glasses. The vision in my left eye was cloudy, as if I was trying to see through a fogged up bathroom mirror.  Alarmed, I paid a visit to my  eye doctor.

Much to my dismay, after a thorough examination, she let me know that the cause of my “sudden” inability to see clearly was a cataract that would need a surgical solution.  Say WHAT?  I just turned 50 about six weeks ago, and had in fact renewed my driver’s license and passed the vision test at the DMV.  How could this have happened so suddenly?

As the days have gone by, exactly 14 today, my sight has diminished more and more.  Where I could see color and some details the day I visited the doctor I can now see only light and dark shapes with only a hint of color.  Cataracts are progressive, and apparently mine is an over-achiever.

It is interesting that as my physical vision deteriorates daily the Holy Spirit is revealing some spiritual truths to the eyes of my heart.  You see, while I noticed my “blindness” exactly two weeks ago,  my doctor is confident that the cataract didn’t suddenly appear that day.  It had been silently developing, little by little, and I hadn’t noticed it.  I didn’t even realize what I wasn’t seeing, until BAM, all of a sudden, I knew I was “blind”.  How could this be?  I believe the same thing can happen to our spiritual eyes, even as followers of Christ.

Pastor recently stressed the importance of being disciplined in our walk.   When I fail to have self-discipline I inevitably begin to wander away from Jesus, little by little.  My daily time in the Word and in prayer diminishes, and eventually can even disappear for days in a row.  Sin creeps in, a little at a time.    Old habits that I thought were long gone  begin to rear their ugly heads.   When complacency takes over and I move away from God, I don’t even notice at first.  Others around me often see what I cannot.  They may try and point out to me that something is amiss.  However, the process happens so slowly, the scales that form over my spiritual eyes are not noticeable to me.  I cannot see clearly.  I am blind to my own sin.   I do not see an accurate reflection of my own heart.  I cannot.

In hindsight, I can think of many times over the past year that my children have told me I was not seeing something clearly.  They would insist something was one color and I would be absolutely certain it was another.  There were other hints that my vision was not as it should be, but I did not catch on to them because I was comfortable.  Complacency and sin work in much the same way.   When I am not listening for that still small voice but rushing around in my business the Holy Spirit’s alarm bells get missed.  My cloudy  vision takes me further and further off of the path of God’s best for me and I don’t even realize it.  If I am confronted, even gently, by those that love me enough to speak truth, I am likely to deny there is an issue because I truly cannot see it. 

Recently in Sunday school we looked at Psalm 146.  Verse 8 saysThe LORD opens the eyes of the blind.   Hallelujah!  Indeed Jesus came to give sight to those who could not see.  Praise God that means He won’t leave me in the darkness.  When my vision is clouded, He will restore my sight.   It is an ongoing work, that began when He opened my eyes on the day of my salvation twenty-nine years ago. 

As I move forward with plans to have the surgery to have my vision restored, I am asking God to do surgery on the eyes of my heart.  I am praying the words of Psalm 139: 23 & 24:

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

point out anything in me that offends you,

And lead me along the path of everlasting life.

How about you?  Is it time for a spiritual eye appointment?    I think the waiting room music will be from SonicFlood, “Open the Eyes of My Heart”.  

On July 9^th, 25 of our students embarked on a trip to Carlisle, Ohio—a village located in the North Cincinnati area. At first glance, Carlisle appears as a rural town, just minutes from a myriad of stores and attractions. The village has the stereotypical small town pride—local shops, Friday night lights, and everyone knows everyone. The only other evident thing about Carlisle are the trains. There is a train that goes by somewhere in this town all the time. Conversations just pause until the train has gone on its way. So many trains… The last apparent truth of Carlisle is that the members of Church in the Village-Carlisle LOVE Carlisle. They love their school, their old homes, their town’s history, their neighbors, and even the trains. They wore shirts saying— “I Love This Village.” This was most evident when our group met Pastor Eric Clarkson on the first morning of our trip. Pastor Eric spelled out to our group what he valued and he presented two goals for the week: meet as many people in Carlisle as possible and learn to love their village.

The mission work began shortly after. Our group’s role was to assist in the church’s kid’s clubs. There were 50-60 kids, from preK to 5^th grade. Our group led recreation through games of silent ball, kickball, Duck, Duck, Goose, and more. The students also assisted with craft and were the “runners,” helping to lead their herd of children from each station. Each morning our students worked with the same groups of kids, learning their names, what they like, playing with them, and listening to them. In some cases our students served as human jungle-gyms and professional piggy-backers—for the gospel!

Two afternoons that week we visited Allistrong. Allistrong is a free store in Carlisle that provides a variety of clothes and goods to people in need of assistance. This ministry is supported by just a few retired volunteers, and the woman who primarily ran the store was blessed by the work our group was able to do for them this week (sorting clothes, cleaning, removing boxes…).

Our nights were spent doing a variety of different activities. Some evenings we canvassed the neighborhoods, leaving door-hanger surveys. On Wednesday evening our group joined Church in the Village Carlisle for their worship service where we met on the side lawn of one of the members, sang some songs, listened to Pastor Eric preach the Word, and played some wiffleball. On Thursday night, we hosted a block party for the families of the kids that attended our kid’s clubs every morning that week. Our students hung out with the kids while members of the church built connections to the parents, talking over snow cones and hot dogs.

Through these different ministry opportunities our students experienced a lot of Carlisle, which meant meeting a lot of the people of Carlisle. A lot of aspects of the week were laid back and flexible. However; even when our group was just hanging out with the church members and their families—they were hanging with a purpose. A major aspect of Church in the Village is intentional “hanging out.” So even in the breaks between the ministry work, a different type of ministry was occurring. The members of the Church in the Village sought to get to know our group better each day—playing games with them, asking them about their lives, telling them stories—and as a result our group was reminded of a mission work that we could emulate each day. We may not be able to host a kid’s club in our subdivision every morning, we may not be able to host a weekly block party, but we can hang out more. We can build relationships with those around us—whether it is a neighbor, a classmate, or a coworker—intentionally hanging out with those around us could be one of our most efficient vehicles for delivering the gospel. A mission trip is often tiring from the nonstop work, late nights, and early mornings; but those trips end. Our group was reminded that we are always on mission and that while we spent a week serving alongside the Church in the Village Carlisle, we have a daily opportunity in our own village to reach people, care for them, and share with them the truth of the Gospel.

^“And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.” – Luke 9:6 (ESV)