20/20 Vision
January 13, 2020
So much can happen in the course of a year. So much is shed, so much is grown. Though it’s tempting for some to leave the past behind, it’s important to look back in retrospect and grow from the past. 2019 was a pivotal year for me. I was placed in new, uncomfortable situations. I laughed, I cried (often) but most of all, I learned. You need to look back just as much as you need to look forward, because looking in hindsight can give you insight to be able to move forward more wisely.
I’m not the best at seeing. I have never had 20/20 vision. Every day, I wake up and I put on my glasses, and the world goes from dim and hazy to clear and bright. Ever since I can remember, I have worn glasses. I have astigmatism and hyperopia. Having astigmatism means that I see lights as slightly blurry shapes, and hyperopia ensures that I have difficulty focusing on objects near me.
Life can be very funny, because in my day-to-day life, I seem to emulate those same characteristics. Sometimes I have trouble seeing the light clearly. I tend to focus on the shadows and the negative moments instead of looking at what God is doing in me and all around me. Additionally, sometimes I focus so much on the future, my expectations, and my plans that I find it hard to focus on what is right in front of me. My head stays in the clouds, constantly dreaming about what I’m going to do, and then sometimes it leads me to forget about doing it. Seeing too far is just as bad as seeing too little. These character traits ironically mimic my poor vision, reminding me to depend on my Father in all things.
I hope 2020 will be the year I attain 20/20 vision in my life. Though I may live with glasses or contact lenses all my life, I hope my spirit has 20/20 vision—not seeing too far or too near. I want to be intentional in my relationship with God, rooting myself in His love and in His Word, instead of focusing on dreams and opportunities. Though they might be given by Him, I want to focus on what He tells me and not what I think He is telling me. I want to stop dwelling on the shadows, and instead look at the beautiful things God is doing in me and around me—not blurring out the light but embracing it, letting it illuminate my life from the inside out.
My prayer for this year is that I will see things as God sees them. May God keep me rooted in Him, guarded in the palm of His hand. May He show me just what I need to see, not too far into the future, but just enough to follow Him in my next steps. May He be the light to guide me, the glasses that make things clear.
I encourage you to dive much deeper into your relationship with God. Make Him the light that guides you. Trust that He has better things for you than you can even imagine. Look at what He has done in your life, and hope for what He will do in the future. He is faithful.
Yours truly,
Isa