Spiritual Eyes

I really enjoy and encourage blogging, journaling, writing in a diary or whatever you want to call it - documenting your life experiences and the feelings that you felt at the time.
I've been blogging for years now and although the content is not a run down of my daily occurrences, it does serve a very helpful purpose: tracking my growth. Today's post is from an old illustration, but I'm posting it now to keep track.

I'm not wearing them now but if I'm reading print on paper, odds are it's a good idea for me to have my magnifiers on. I didn't wear glasses when I was younger (I didn't have asthma either). It's 'almost' funny that as I get older and visits to doctor's offices become more of a real and necessary thing; I'm tracking my health ...or rather it's slow deterioration.

But that's kind of my point: My doctor(s) can show me how my efforts are affecting important things like blood pressure, cholesterol level and eyesight, just as the blog shows evidence of something vastly more important; growing maturity in the things of Christ and what it looks like to progressively 'walk by the Spirit'.

Here's The Word;

Titus 1:15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

Now of course, none of us were born pure but even as we age and (eventually) become more physically fragile and frail, there's a Spirit in us that is growing stronger and having greater impact on how we see and embrace The Lord's leading...becoming more pure. So as often as I encourage Christians to embrace Christ and allow His Spirit to control, its also me taking an "eye exam" that I can look at later and affirm that my Spiritual eyes are getting stronger.

Quick story to end this and explain Spiritual eyes: Many years ago as a Sunday School teacher, I mentioned to the students that spiritual eyes can see godly things in almost everything. Thankfully, one student risked embarrassment (you know how teens can be super silent) and chimed in "Like anything?" I said "Sure" and asked her what her favorite movie was. She answered 'Pirates of the Caribbean' - I said "Great" and began to ask several questions to the class:

What was the plight of the crew of the Black Pearl? - They were all cursed.

Why? - They'd stolen the old Aztec gold.

What was the remedy? - They needed to return the gold and also to break the curse using Bootstrap Bill's son, William Turner.

How? - They needed his blood as payment for the curse.

I concluded: Now realize, Pirates of the Caribbean is not trying to teach you the Gospel but Spiritual eyes will see how this is just like our situation in that we're cursed because of sin and even if we do all we can to make it right, we still needed the blood of the Son to break the curse.

When Jesus was asked about why He spake in parables, His answer was "That seeing they may see, and not perceive" (Mk 4:12). It's been given to us to see. Therefore make sure you're using and checking your spiritual eyes.

In Him,
Cros