"On the Gift of Sight"

There was a time, not all that long ago, when contact lenses and lasik surgery, corrective surgery for the eyes, were not commonplace, and glasses were patently prescribed for vision correction.  A common adage from that era, "I don't need glasses except to see," is a perfect description of the condition of my eyesight.  Distance vision is decent, not perfect, but somewhere between my youth and the present I developed the need for some serious glasses in order to read or do any handwork.  In the face of that reality I have resorted to using reading glasses. The only problem is finding them when I need them, as I have a habit of pulling them off without thought and randomly setting them down after use.

Many years ago I had a dream.  In that dream I was declared legally blind.  In the physical realm legal blindness is a severe visual impairment or loss of vision.  Whereas good vision is described as 20/20, which means one is able to read an eye chart clearly at a distance of 20', legal blindness is ascribed at 20/200 or worse.  To better understand this, a person with minimal vision is able to see at 20' what one with good vision can see at 200'.

There are two ways to view anything--from a physical perspective, that which is seen with the physical eyes, or from a spiritual perspective, the unseen, seen with spiritual eyes.  Upon awakening from that dream I knew I had been shown a picture of the state of my spiritual vision.  

The questions might be asked:  "Why is spiritual sight important?  How is one able to see that which is unseen?" and "Why does it matter in my life?"

In my experience, when life--and that word covers a very broad spectrum--is seen only through one's physical eyes, the picture is restricted.  Viewing the underside of the proverbial tapestry rather than seeing it from the top, it's the same as when I try to read without my reading glasses.  I know something is on the page, but i am unable to discern what is there; there is no clarity.

We live in a spiritual world, whether one believes that or not.  What is seen with the physical eye is not the real world but a front, a facade.  A whole level of spiritual activity goes on beyond what we see and experience with our natural eyes and beings.  As the base for all that takes place in our lives, our planet, the universe, the spiritual realm is actually ground zero.  The importance of being aware of that and having spiritual sight can never be underestimated.  It is where life happens--really happens. Things are not as they seem to be.

It is my belief that man has been created in the image of God.  A spiritual entity, not a physical one, it is therefore not unreasonable that spiritual vision goes hand in hand when living life with Him.  Seeing that which is unseen takes place within a person's self.  Spirit to spirit--the spirit of God connecting with the spirit of man, resonating within one's soul.  Perhaps it is, indeed, an epiphany experience, a moment of illumination or discovery; perhaps a single thought, an awareness or sense, a visual picture which comes into one's mind, a dream.  Knowledge given from God, it is knowing something you didn't know you knew.  "I see," said the blind man, is an apt characterization.

Perception, the eyes to see, is a gift given by God and can never be achieved through efforts of self.  There is a night and day difference in everyday life between viewing just the outer, which is one-dimensional, and seeing beyond the appearances and superficiality into the inner.

To have spiritual vision is to see as God sees, where there are no holds barred and undeniable truth prevails.  It is seeing what is, not what appears to be and is the only way one can see and know what is true, what is absolute.  A natural result of walking with Him and living life with Him, it is what happens when one "rubs shoulders" with excellence.  The alternative is that of functioning in darkness, as one who is blind.  
  
In my frustration over having only a single pair of reading glasses, I have purchased several and positioned them throughout the house, in my purse, and in the car.  On a good day I should be able to find at least one.  The added bonus is that I don't need any glasses to have 20/20 spiritual vision.  

"We do not focus on what is seen, but what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen lasts forever."