Vision

I still remember my first pair of glasses...pink, plastic frames...in Kindergarten...Mrs. Bland had to keep them in her desk drawer until I needed them to look at the board...we lost those glasses in a move from one building to a new room.  Alas, I think the second pair were the same as the first...everything had to be pink back then...and big.  Eventually, I started wearing them all the time...the curse of two parents who are blind as bats. 

Vision has always been one of those things that is a mystery to me.  When I don't have any help in the vision department, ie glasses or contacts, everything is a blur, literally.  It's as if the world is not as it should be...as I should be seeing it...colors merge and objects become blobs.  This probably sounds crazy to some of you, but I'm sure that some of you "get it."  Needless to say, I am extremely thankful for the advances in technology that allow me to see clearly every day!

This morning, I was reading the hymn "Be Thou My Vision"....I've loved that hymn for a while now.  Today, the words

"Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light"

made me stop and think...at 6:15 in the morning...yay brain!

I thought about how hard it is for me to see things clearly without my glasses or contacts...how blurry things get, even if there is enough light to see.  Then I thought about darkness and how it is next to impossible to see your own hand in complete darkness.  That line says that God's presence is our light.  If we aren't seeking God's presence in our every day, ordinary lives, we can't see well...the way is not lit for us to know where we're going and we can't light the way for others to follow.  So, this morning, I prayed for God's presence to go before me...so that the way would be illuminated....and the darkness would be penetrated...so that when I get there, I can see clearly who I need to see, what I need to do...

Yes, LORD, be our vision....be present...help us to know that you are present, whether we acknowledge you or not...and help us to call on your light when we feel as though we are wandering through dark places...in mind, spirit, or reality.  Amen.  So be it, Lord.