I have 2 pairs of eyes. The standard eyes that came with my body when I was born and the spiritual eyes that were opened when I was born again. The second pair do not depend on visual input. All the information they relay to me is initially invisible. Everything they see is based on belief. A belief founded in Jesus Love for me. His Love for me is greater than all love which creates belief that is more powerful than any other. Because of that, my spiritual eyes are like a super power. They are so in tune with that Love, that they have to be located in my heart. In comparison, my physical eyes can’t compete. Since the ones gifted to me at rebirth, are superior to my regular eyes, you would think that I would utilize them as my primary pair. But I am an idiot sometimes and I default to the standard pair. Those are the ones that I’ve been looking through for 3 weeks. They are useful on vacation since I want to view God’s beauty, but they are worthless for faith long-term. Currently they are kind of clouded with sadness and doubt. I don’t know how else to put it. I hate looking through them right now. But like @happychris81 posted in the comments yesterday, Jesus came to heal blindness. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.” Luke 4:18
I believe, but toggling back and forth between both pairs is hard on faith. I know somebody else has got to be dealing with the same challenge. What we need is serious prayer, immersing in God’s words, and harnessing the Spirit, with gratitude for what He has already done. That is the way our spiritual eyes see. Maybe this seems elementary in terms of spiritual maturity and it is. But faith isn’t static and mastered by a certain point in our lives. I constantly need to rely on Jesus to make my eyes like His. He has Perfect Vision and if He refines mine, I can too. Right now, I want to see like that.
“I pray that eyes of your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called–his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.” Eph 1:18
This is a comment in response to your February 15 “Are You Listening” blog:
Even when I try with my best ear, I am a poor listener. I hear, but I do not listen to the nuance, the real message, the heart of the message. Ask my wife, my family, my loved ones. Even more than them, Jesus wanted me to listen to Him and to know what He was telling me and what He wanted me to do to serve His purpose for my life and in the life of one he dearly loves. So, Jesus put a specific person into my heart, and He told me to ‘listen’ carefully, patiently, with an open heart and mind to that person. Every time, right before I spoke with that person, Jesus told me, “to listen” to not only their words but their heart.
I wish I could tell you that I learned how to listen as well as Jesus asked, but I can tell you that the experience made me a much better listener, not only of that person, but of what Jesus was telling me and what He wanted me to share with that person and to learn from that person how Jesus works His message of Love and Truth and guidance in our hearts and minds. A good example of where I was before this experience is told in the Bible by Luke about Jesus’ friend, Martha:
Luke 10: 38-42 Jesus entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Jesus wants us to be like Mary, listening to Him as He pours our His Love and shares His plans and direction for our lives and the lives of our Loved ones. You may be caught between being a Mary and a Martha. I certainly am, but Jesus is serious about our listening to Him with our heart focused on who He is, which is Love. Love never harms us or others, and while I can be the most impatient of all people and be of the mind that I need Jesus to do what I want now, or certainly quickly, I am not serving Him or those He puts into my life by listening like Martha…
You know the answer, but I’ll share what I’ve learned, just in case you are a Martha like me. Jesus is Love, and He hears us, even when we don’t hear Him. I trust Jesus. I trust His Love for me and His Love for those I love. I trust Him, because I know that Love always finds a way to solve my situations far better than I can ever solve them. You are right, “A Plan founded in Love will surpass any dreams I can ever envision.” I am dreamer. Love is a dream come true. I put my trust in Jesus, Lord of Love, and I will sing songs of Praise to Him and be alert, listening to the favor of His Love in action in my life.
I hope that I have listened to your message today. It spoke to my heart. I will pray that you listen as Mary did and find that His Love already has worked out a perfect Plan for you. Amen.
Isaiah 25: Song of Praise for God’s Favor – O LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness. GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; for the LORD has spoken. It will be said in that day, “Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”