By DAVID ODOM
With 2019 in the books and the beginning of a new year, it’s also the time for many other new things. To me, the new year is a time when it seems that we get a new fresh start on things, a clean slate, and maybe a chance for some do-overs that we messed up in 2019. It doesn’t matter if we broke all of our resolutions or if we are in the 8% of the few Americans that was holding on to that last resolution with a tiny thread of hope. But, maybe this year we can have a clear vision for our life, not just for our family, careers, and our goals. But, maybe a clear vision through our spiritual eyes as well and not just a shallow New Year’s resolution.
It’s very evident that people will do just about anything to have perfect vision or to be able to see things more clearly. Laser eye surgery tips the scales this year with the number one most common surgery in the United States. Of course, we all want to see things clearer, but how about spiritually. We spend thousands of dollars on glasses, surgery, and high tech sunglasses, but what would we spend or do for a perfect vision through our spiritual eyes? 2020 vision through our human eyes is how far can we see without any assistance. But perfect vision spiritually has nothing to do with seeing clearly with no assistance. In fact, we need God’s word to help lead and guide our every step or we are just walking around blind? I feel like many Christians today are walking around with 20/20 vision but spiritually they are blind. The book of Ephesians speaks of the blindness of our hearts.
While searching for a clear spiritual vision for this new year I came across a lesson on perfect vision from a man in the gospel of Mark, chapter 8, whose name was not even mentioned, but was only described as a blind man. Though it may seem odd, but this blind man gives us a good insight on some clear vision for life. From this scripture I took away four ways to have spiritual 20/20 vision in 2020.
1. Remember — Just like a business owner takes inventory at the end of the year, take an inventory of the things that God has done for you over the past year and make an actual list. We always tend to get so focused on all the bad things in our life that we forget about all the wonderful things God has done over the past 12 months. Making an actual list of things will ensure that you don’t forget some on the miracles that God brought you through. In this scripture, Jesus had performed many miracles and it didn’t take long before the disciples to forget what they had just witnessed. Jesus had taken a little portion of food and fed the multitude on two different occasions. Then, the next moment they worried where their food was going come from. We have to remember that even though we can’t see it physically, Jesus provides our physical and spiritual needs.
2. Choose good friends — When Jesus came through the town, the blind man would not have been able to see him with his physical eyes. However, he had surrounded himself with good friends, and when he was in a time of need, they took him to Jesus. There are times in our life when we are at our lowest point and even with our spiritual eyes it seems we can’t even see Jesus anywhere in sight. It seems like he is so far away, but with a group of good Christian friends they can pray for us and call out to the savior on our behalf. Then when we need advice we can rest assured they will seek God’s word for an answer in our time of spiritual blindness.
3. Refocus — In this passage of scripture it appears at a distance that it took Jesus two times of touching the blind man before he was able to see clearly. Knowing that throughout the scriptures Jesus performed many miracles with the blind, lame, and even raising the dead. I believe it is possible this scripture teaches us a couple lessons. I believe the first time he touched the man that he received his physical sight back. The second touch from Jesus, I believe, was him receiving his spiritual vision. We always seem to think that we have the answers or that we have to come up with the answer to our problems, but we don’t always look at our problem through spiritual eyes. The second thing I think this passage teaches us is that even when we receive the gift of salvation, at that point we are a new Christian and everything is not perfect in the beginning. We have to grow in our salvation and it takes more than just us. It takes growing through the word of God before we mature as a Christian. We cannot do it by ourselves. It takes looking at our situation through the eyes of God before we can see them clearly.
4. Clear vision — True clear spiritual vision comes from God alone. It comes through the Word of God. It comes through praying, studying, fasting, and meditating on the word of God.
To sum it all up, if you are a business owner and at the end of the year you find out you business plan didn’t make you a profit for the year then you start another year and you use that same business plan for the next, the chances are you will end up with the same results. You will have to come up with a new plan to reach your goals. I encourage you this year in 2020 that if you want a clear spiritual vision for your life, and you have tried it your way and the results that you get are not what you hoped for I ask you to give Jesus a try. If you don’t know Jesus as your personal savior, give Jesus a try. It has been the best decision I have ever made. Jesus is the only way that we will have a clear vision and a clear direction for our life. I hope and pray for your 20/20 vision in 2020. God bless!!
(The Solution Column is provided by the Rev. Brandon Young of Harmony Free Will Baptist Church, Hampton, and his associate, David Odom)