glasses showing eye-chart in focus

Eleven Essentials for 20/20 Soul Sight

How well we see is a game changer. When I was younger, my vision was awful. I was legally blind. The numbers on my alarm clock—which was placed as close to the bed as possible—were blurry without my glasses.

When I heard of a relatively new procedure called radial keratotomy (RK), I was all in. To this day, the closest thing to a miracle I’ve ever experienced was having my vision corrected.

This last Christmas, my gift to my husband was the successor to RK called Lasik. We aren’t the youngest ducks in the pond and there are always risks of complications with this procedure, but because his vision was so impaired we figured why not go for it.

For years I tried to explain to my husband how glorious it is to see the world after vision-correction surgery. Colors are . . .

  • Richer
  • Depth perception is greater
  • Nature is lovelier

Yet my words fell short until he experienced the difference himself. Now that he has corrected eyesight, he truly understands that vision is a glorious gift to be appreciated every day.

Really Seeing

There is another kind of “seeing” that Scripture discusses far more than physical vision. Throughout the Bible, the emphasis isn’t on people being nearsighted, farsighted, or blind.

Eyesight is used metaphorically—the emphasis is on having a clear understanding of what God defines as desirable, valuable, knowable, and eternal.

This kind of vision is “soul sight.” How we live, the choices we make, and the beliefs we hold reveal much about the acuity and maturity of our soul sight.

Questions We Can’t Avoid

Because there’s no eye chart for the soul, examining our eternal perspective accurately can be tricky. Over time, I’ve learned there are some basic questions we must ask ourselves often:

  • What conclusions do I make based on one’s outer appearance?
  • What assumptions do I make when others are different than me or when others make choices that are different than mine?
  • Am I quick to forgive or do I hold grudges when offended? Do I gossip or go directly to the person with whom there is an offense to clear things up?
  • Do I keep a “spiritually mature” list with which I judge people based on their different choices in clothing, entertainment, food, drink, and lifestyle?
  • Do I assume to know what happens in others’ homes? When there’s talk of abuse, do I assume to know who is right and wrong? Do I make my opinion known?
  • Am I able to love a person despite their lifestyle choices? Would I invite a person in the LGBTQ lifestyle to lunch? Why, or why not?
  • Do I spend time with those who are different or disabled? Do I offer to clean their home, mow their yard, do their laundry, or encourage their family members? Do I avoid them so I don’t look weird?
  • Have I ever opened up my home to someone in need? Do I resist giving money to someone on the street because he or she might spend it in a way I don’t agree with?
  • Am I more willing to help someone with cancer before helping someone with a mental illness or addiction issue?
  • Do I give advice or tell others what they should do before being asked or invited into their life? Can I love a person who is living a sinful lifestyle? Why, or why not?
  • When was the last time I asked the Lord to search my heart, to see if there is any wicked way in me and to lead me into all truth and righteousness?
Contemplation
(Image from Pixabay)

A Scriptural Truth

How do I know soul sight is important? Look at how many times this concept is mentioned in Scripture (NASB):

  • God’s covenant with Solomon: “The LORD said to him, ‘I have heard your prayer and your supplication, which you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built by putting My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually’” (1 Kings 9:3).
  • Solomon’s prayer to the Lord: “Now, O my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place” (2 Chronicles 6:40).
  • Nehemiah’s prayer of repentance for the people’s evil choices: “Let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel” (Nehemiah 1:6).
  • What the Lord hates: “Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, / And hands that shed innocent blood, / A heart that devises wicked plans” (Proverbs 6:17–18).
  • The heart of people: “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other” (Matthew 6:22–24).
  • Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians: “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18).

Let Me Hear from You

Soul sight rests on trusting God and surrendering to His work in your life. Are you willing to examine yourself as much as you examine others? Would you pass a soul sight test, or do you need some corrective surgery?

The Great Physician longs for you to see clearly what is of eternal value. What one choice can you make this week that will enhance your eternal perspective?

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