Farsightedness is a common vision condition. It’s characterized by the ability to see distant objects clearly, but close ones do not come into proper focus. I love the term used by those in Britain: long-sightedness.
When I think of long-sightedness, I think of vision – the leadership term. The pastor of the church I attend is a visionary. He sees down the road to the far off places. Under his leadership, things are adventurous, risky, and full of hope.
The antithesis of farsightedness is near-sightedness. Spiritual nearsightedness can be deadly. When we only focus on what is right in front of us, we lose the ability to see with God’s eyes. We lose His vision – again, the leadership kind. We lose hope. Lost hope starts to eat away at our joy, our faith, and even our very souls.
Right now, there are people in the worst-case scenarios of life. Maybe it’s you or someone close to you. Maybe you’re at the end of your patience, or your courage, or your trust. You can’t even imagine how to get through today. I’ve been there. It’s a condition where you struggle to survive the next hour, and the future seems irrelevant.
Where there is no vision, the people perish. ~ Proverbs 29:18
There is a powerful vision treatment available. It’s more than just a pair of corrective lenses. It’s an eternal fix. It’s called faith. It’s putting all your nearsightedness down at the base of a cross and trusting in the goodness and leadership of the Kingdom of God. When you choose to risk it all and do this, you gain God’s vision. His eyes. His hope.
There’s nothing better.
The hope of God tells you that your situation may seem merciless, but it is temporary.
The hope of God reminds you that while you feel desperate or helpless, God is working to make everything good on your behalf.
The hope of God feeds the joy of God, which is not dependent on your circumstances.
So, while your situation or condition may seem to be the worst kind of awful, God’s farsightedness (long-sightedness) shows you what can be rather than what is.
The founder of a ministry in Haiti teaches from this motto: “Lose sight to gain vision.” Now, there is a place where nearsightedness could surely kill you. Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere, by all material standards. But, boy do they have the vision of God. Many of the people of Haiti have a bold hope that I have not seen in most other places. They rely on farsightedness rather than nearsightedness, and it produces a powerful hope that sucker punches the core of the here and now. Their long-sightedness proves that no earthly sorrow or circumstance can snuff out the joy and peace of knowing there is a place in Heaven for them.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ~Romans 12:12
Let this be your encouragement. While you may not be able to choose your physical eyesight or stop the ailments of the aging process, you do have a choice in how you use your spiritual eyes. Will you focus on the trials and hardships right in front of you, allowing them to smother your joy and hope? Or, will you rely on God’s vision and become long-sighted, putting your faith in the expectation and knowledge of something so much better?
Prayer: Father God, give me Your vision. I want to be long-sighted and discover the hope born from living with Your eyes. Thank You for your loving goodness. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Influenced by my prayer life, Hebrews 11:1, Proverbs 29:18, Psalm 33:30, Psalm 62:5, Romans 12:12, John McHoul – founder of Heartline Ministries, Merriam-Webster, the simple Gospel, and the struggles within my community.
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