Better Believing Glasses

I've been having a bit of trouble seeing what I'm reading lately.  This is a new development in the continuing saga of my getting older.  Huzzah.

The other day, on a whim, I tried a pair of my wife's reading glasses, and suddenly--as if by magic--I could actually see the words on the page in front of me without any fuzziness.  
So, I bought my first few pairs of reading glasses, and I've been shuffling back and forth between them and my regular glasses.  It's no fun to have to admit that my old way of seeing isn't adequate any longer, but it's a whole lot less fun than actually not seeing. 

Necessity, as it turns out, often gives birth to flexibility when it comes to these kinds of things.  My need to see has caused me to let go of some of my pride, and simply carry around an extra pair of glasses.  

I believe the same thing might be true for most of us Christians---especially regarding some of our tightly held beliefs.  At some point, we come to the realization that the old lenses we were given so long ago, just aren't doing the trick any longer. 

In fact, they might even be keeping us from seeing clearly.  

Maybe the reason we came to this conclusion was because of changes in our lives, a tragedy that shook us, an awakening to the suffering and marginalization of others, a new empathy for people who believed differently... there's a host of reasons that may contribute to our necessity for new lenses.  

For example, the way I used to view God was through a particular lens that shaped my image of the Almighty into one of a tyrant and a bully.  I had my heart broken when I returned to church after a long hiatus, and knew that there was more to God than my cracked and dirty lenses were allowing me to see.  

In order for me to grow more deeply in my faith, I needed a new lens to see God differently.  Thankfully, I was able to let go of my old way of seeing and embrace something new.  As a result, my relationship with God expanded and grew in ways I never thought possible. 

In 1 Corinthians 13:10-12 we hear these words from the Apostle Paul: 

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

May you not be afraid to put on new lenses of faith today and every day.  May you discover new ways of viewing God, and the world around you that help you grow closer to God and your neighbor.  May these Jesus-shaped lenses give you a new perspective on who you are in Christ.  

And may the grace and peace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be with you now and always. Amen.