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Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Mark 9:25

I remember the first time I got my eyes checked. I did not even realise how bad my eyesight was until the optometrist turned off the lights, flipped on the screen, and asked me to read the letters. Used to knowing the answers to any test, I could not study for this one. I squinted nonchalantly and bluffed some answers, although the optometrist was no fool. After a while my pride gave way and it was easier to just admit that I could not see.

He then fiddled around with the phoropter, the machine with different lenses, to determine my “refractive error,” i.e. how nearsighted I was, and asked me to read the chart again. I looked through the lens and the letters were clear! I realised how blind I had been. I could not believe I had been walking around with such blurry vision.

Humbly, I recall how I had once also been so blind to the gospel message. The words had flown past my ears many times before, but the crux of the message never penetrated into my hardened and prideful heart. When it finally did, it was like the scales had fallen away from my eyes. Although my vision still needs to be tweaked once in a while, happily I am not as far off as I once was.

When life seems to go wrong, I remind myself that without corrective mechanisms, I am indeed just as near-sighted as before. The flaw always lies in my vision, not in God’s plan. The further I try to look into the future, the blurrier it seems; the closer I scrutinise matters of this world, the more cross-eyed I become. It is only the Great Physician who can correct my myopic vision, as I turn my gaze towards him and He invites me to look through His eternal, truthful lens.

Have you been near-sighted about your situation?

• Thank God for helping you acknowledge your limited vision and that you could have spiritual sight to see from His eternal perspective
• Ask God to help you take the focus off near objects—yourself and your problems—and meditate on His goodness and His love for you