Fog

The last few mornings I have driven to work in some crazy fog.  Visibility in some spots was no more than 100 yards, and in others it was less than that.  I have driven these roads for 8 years now, so I know them pretty well, but there is something about not being able to see where I am going that was more than a little nerve-wracking.

Psalm 119:105 says,"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." (NIV)  We have to keep in that lamps are not at all like our high-tech LED flashlights.  I would rather have the LED flashlight, but a candle, which is essentially what a lamp was back then, is better than complete darkness.

Now, here's the thing for me.  A lamp is only gong to light so much of the path.  Just enough for us to take our next few steps. Personally, I'm glad that my path is not completely lit.  I think that if I could see all the things that lie ahead of me, all the grand plans that God has in store for me, I'd never take the next step.  I don't know if I would have the courage needed to proceed.  By showing me just a few steps at a time, I am allowed to exercise the small faith I have.  Exercising my faith allows it to grow, and when I have some rather large steps to make, I can rely on that faith to get me through.

God never promises us an easy ride, but He does promise to guide us through it.  His guiding style is to show us only what we can handle, and even that stretches us, if we allow it.  So, while not being able to see where we are going in this physical world can be disconcerting, it can be oddly comforting in our spiritual journey.

Nearsighted

For as long as I can remember, I've had to wear some type of contraption or device to aid my vision.  At one point, my sight was degrading so rapidly I had to visit the optometrist as often as you do the dentist.  Every time I went I came out with a new prescription.  I am VERY nearsighted.  Without glasses or contacts, I couldn't see the words on my monitor about a foot away.

Like I said, dealing with these vision problems is nothing new.  However, about three years ago, it came to my attention that I had another vision problem.  You see, for many years prior to this there were three men I really looked up.  Each one was successful in their own.  One was a man of integrity beyond reproach.  Another was a man of great faith and service.  The other was a success in business.  I tried to hold myself to the standards I saw in these men and failed.  As a result, what I saw in the mirror was less man and more boy.

I was spiritually nearsighted.  My vision beyond them was blurred.  I love and respect these men deeply, but they are not worthy of the esteem with which I held them.  I set my standards too low.  The mark I should have been aiming for was that of Christ.  It, too, is a mark I will NEVER make this side of heaven, but I'm good with that. I know I will be rewarded for the effort.  It's funny.  When I was failing in what I thought I should be succeeding at, I was miserable.  Now that I'm failing in something I know can never live up to, I've never felt better.

Christ knows we can't be like him.  He was perfect.  I had a pastor that was fond of saying the Christian life was not difficult.  It was impossible.  There's a certain comfort in that thought.  There was only one perfect man to walk this earth, and I'm not him.  My vision is much clearer now than it was three years ago, and, unlike looking at the sun, if I keep looking at the Son, my eyesight can only improve.