Dr. Toso thinks Pastor Tony should get glasses that look something like these.  | Greetings!
"Do you believe because I told you that I saw you...you will see greater things than these." - John 1:50
Lately I've been discovering new challenges with my eyesight. It seems that I am able to see things pretty well as long as they are within about 15-20 feet. However, any further than that and I lose focus on details so that passing people in the street or meeting them in the grocery store becomes a bit comical as I squint wondering if the person coming towards me is someone I know.
As I've been working with Dr. Toso to fix these new vision challenges so that I can not only see things near me but also things far away, I've been wondering about my own spiritual life. When encountering the world, am I also pretty good at seeing things that are near to me, but missing things that are further away?
People that think and act like I do are easy to recognize as people who are "part of my clan." But, what about people who are different from me -- those whose faith or whose life choices make me uncomfortable? Often times, seeing them clearly as part of the same family of God can be hard to do -- people different from us can be difficult to recognize as part of "our clan."
Maybe as I'm getting used to my new glasses I'll try practicing seeing every person I meet through the lens of Jesus. People's inherent value can become very clear to each of us as we ask of our neighbor "I wonder if that person is someone that Jesus gave his life to save?" Since the answer for each and every person is an obvious "yes!", it becomes pretty clear, pretty quickly how all the world is filled with God's glory and grace.
Tony
tony@cantonlutheran.net
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