Lenses

To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled

(Titus 1:15, NKJV)

Someone once said, ‘we judge people by our own standards’.  This statement is weighty and can be discussed positively as well as negatively.  Each one of us has a perspective that we all carry regarding other people or the different things that we interact with.  We have different tastes for food and it is interesting that what one considers good and delicious, another will not stomach it, literally.  This does not end with food but with all preferences, for example, our preferred choice of colours or even fashions.  This variety is beautiful.  It is also true that the difference in choice that one person makes has at times resulted in bitter arguments and fights concerning others’ values and perspectives when they are opposed to our own.  We are all passionately protective of what we think or perceive as right so that we judge others harshly and rarely want to listen to the reasons why the other person’s choice is different from our own.  That for me explains the statement at the beginning, we judge others from what our lens of life is, not accepting or even considering that at times we are the ones in the wrong.

Our reference verse sent me on a journey of self-assessment in relation to how I perceive and understand different things in life, acknowledging that this is a lifelong journey as new things keep showing up and new knowledge is acquired.  Beloved, in light of our reference verse, I ask “what lenses are you seeing the world through?”  We are all familiar with sunglasses which help us to keep the bright sun rays from our eyes, the sunglasses come in all colours and at times one is at a loss to choose which one works for them; blue, green, orange, dark brown, and others, making for a wide choice to one’s desire.  When we put on the sunglasses, we see things in the colour of the lens that we chose and it is noted that if we wear these coloured lenses for a while, our eyes adjust to the colour so that when we take them off, our sight needs to readjust to the natural light. 

Beloved, this is the same thing with our spiritual eyes, when our hearts are dwelling on the light of God, we see from God’s perspective, the converse is also true.  It is no wonder that the bible says that out of the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks, either good or bad (Luke 6:45). What is inside of our hearts is what influences and colours our perspectives and views of life and situations.  When we find that one is speaking rudely and seems to think it is okay or excuses the mistake, that is a red flag on what is in the heart, for he/she is speaking from their heart lens.  There is need to seek the Lord for the cleansing of our hearts.  We read of a blind man who was healed by Jesus, but when he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw were men looking like trees (Mark 8:24-26).  Jesus touched his eyes again and this gave him perfect eyesight.  This tells us that while spiritually we might be seeing dimly, there is a solution when we go back to the Master to cleanse our lens for a clear view.  The bible reminds us to guard our heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues and decisions of our lives, (Proverbs 4:23), what we allow in becomes the lens we use.  We are also reminded us that if our spiritual eyes are the lamp of our bodies and if our eyes are good then we have light but when our eyes are bad we have darkness all round (Matthew 6:22-23).  Beloved, to change our view in this journey of faith, we then must change our lens, taking up the Master’s clarity of sight lest we are deluded in our pursuit for holy living.

Thoughts:

What is your spiritual eyesight lens?

How have you chosen the lens for your faith journey?

What destinations/decisions have your lens led you to?

Are there areas that you need to seek the Master’s lens?