Seeing Wellness

“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light before them
and make the rough places smooth.”

–Isaiah 42:16

Infant eyes struggle to see beyond their reach. As vision strengthens, so does our sense of independence. We stake great confidence in what we see. Some view the darkness of evil encroaching. Others look for cheerful scenery as they walk through life, but decay overtakes the fruit and blooms. Age often steals the sight it once emboldened. Life events, world trends, and hedonistic pursuits will blind the heart, but the world could never offer lasting light. A blessed few see life well, and continue to do so beyond the limits of age. These folks perceive its wellness from a  light within.

Perception, not visual ability, determines our experience of reality. We tend to misplace our confidence in our senses and misdirect our energy toward circumstances. Perception shades our view with opaque storm clouds or illuminates it with glimmers of hope. Those who perceive well choose to focus on the sovereignty of God. The collection of atomic matter which appears solid to our eyes might seem more real than the One who planned each subatomic particle’s course, but the workings we cannot see activate exponentially greater power than the fraction available to our view.

The artful design cannot be viewed from the perspective of one pixel, but despite our inability to perceive the masterpiece, our part in its splendor remains significant. We cannot see well without the wellness within. Christ offers to illuminate our view by transforming our perspective from the inside out. Seek Him, and the hope cannot be darkened by evil or devastated by unwanted circumstances.

“The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.” (Psalm 19:8)

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” (Psalm 119:105)

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:2-23)