Spiritual Myopia

A few Christmases ago I received a book with no words, only pictures. Each picture was beautiful by itself. When you turn to the next picture, you realize that the picture doesn’t stand alone, but is part of the picture on the next page. Through the pages you progress from a roster comb to a beach scene to a postage stamp to the earth and outer space. Yet it is easy to see each picture as independent.

Our lives can be much the same way, leaving us with a Spiritual Myopia, or nearsightedness. When we keep our focus on ourselves, we see our lives as the whole picture instead as only part of God’s greater plan, or even as a small part of our family or national history.

I lately have let the pain of a personal situation be the focus of most of my energy. My daily thoughts have been on how this situation has hurt me. My Spiritual Myopia allowed me to live for several months in a pity party. In the process, I have hindered the relationship most important to me. I have pushed away the one person I most desperately want to be close to, harvesting bitterness and unforgiveness in my heart.

Last fall, I wrote a fictional story based loosely on this situation. A very dear friend asked how I found the strength to do that so soon after the incident. My response was that God will use what happened in my life to help others. That response reflected an attitude of allowing myself to be a postage-stamp-sized picture in the greater picture of God’s plan.

When I take my eyes off of myself and look at the situation more objectively, I realize that the offending incident was not the cause of trouble, but a symptom of it – a wake-up call. Without my Spiritual Myopia, healing can begin in a relationship that was already strained.

So, how do we cure or prevent Spiritual Myopia? The cure and prevention is keeping our focus on God. Being in the Word daily and praying continuously are the main medicines for this condition. As I do the spiritual disciplines regularly, the eyes of my heart look at a much bigger picture than just me. I start to see my life as a small part of God’s bigger picture.

Note re: "Fear Factor": I am learning to touch the crickets -- as long as they are safely in the gecko's viv and cannot jump out. I have learned that my greatest fear is them getting loose in my house.