We all look at our circumstances and the people around us through lenses that started off clean and clear when we were born, but then they got smudged, scratched, twisted, spit upon, and bloodied in battle. Many people continue viewing the world through these old lenses even after they have heard about what Jesus did for them. Maybe we do that because the old lenses are familiar and perfectly shaped to our head, and they look like everyone else’s. Maybe we’re nervous about making lifestyle changes and not sure how the world would look if we see everyone through Christ’s new lenses that are uniquely made for us.
But if we keep looking through our old, dirty lenses, they will continue to skew the world around us. The old lenses that most people have gotten used to wearing make people seem untrustworthy and filthy, separating brothers and sisters into thinking they are in a battle of “us versus them”. Our old lenses, discolored with lies, confuse and disorient us as we try to move along in life, making it difficult to stay on our paths, and even stealing our peace and joy for living.
We get only one natural-born, earthly life, but by believing that Jesus died and rose again to give us eternal life, we have been given NEW LENSES, along with an opportunity to enjoy this life AND a life in heaven for eternity. New lenses change the appearance of everything around us, our attitudes toward others, and the way we show up to our challenges in this life. These new lenses can only get temporarily dirtied, when we realize that we simply need to hand them over to Jesus, knowing that he will wipe them clean, give us a warm embrace of encouragement, and put them back on our eyes to see clearly once again.
‘I’m sending you off to open the eyes of the outsiders so they can see the difference between dark and light, and choose light, see the difference between Satan and God, and choose God. I’m sending you off to present my offer of sins forgiven, and a place in the family, inviting them into the company of those who begin real living by believing in me.’ – Acts 26:17-18 MSG