2 Peter 1:5-9
Do your best to improve your faith. You can do this by adding goodness, understanding, self-control, patience, devotion to God, concern for others, and love. If you keep growing in this way, it will show that what you know about our Lord Jesus Christ has made your lives useful and meaningful. But if you don’t grow, you are like someone who is nearsighted or blind, and you have forgotten that your past sins are forgiven.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
On a recent episode of “Duck Dynasty,” the Robertson family discovered that Uncle Si was having vision problems. One of the daughters-in-law set out to drive him to the eye doctor, but Si couldn’t read the road signs to get there. He grew impatient and said, “Let’s just go home.” Jessica Robertson took matters into her own hands and drove Uncle Si to her eye doctor’s clinic, where the doctor declared Si “legally blind.” One new set of corrective lenses later, Si’s vision was restored, and “all was well, Jack!” (This is a show reference, for those of you who don’t watch!)
We all know that there are a lot of things we cannot do – or do well – when our vision is impaired. And like Si Robertson, many of us are impatient and don’t want to work through whatever efforts are necessary to make improvements. We don’t want to take the time to go see an optometrist and get our eyes checked… we don’t want to wait on new eyeglasses to be made… and like Si, we certainly do not want to undergo corrective laser surgery! When we encounter roadblocks or challenges in our Spiritual life, many of us are just like Si… ready to call it a day and go to the house.
If we will practice these exercises to improve our faith… goodness, understanding, self-control, patience, devotion to God, concern for others, and love… we will be amazed at how much we grow – and how much more frequently God seems to show up in our lives. It may seem that He is putting obstacles in our way… road signs we cannot read and more – and even a little corrective “surgery” once in a while. God may very well be testing us and tossing challenges our way to see what we are made of – and to show us just how strong we are when we depend completely upon Him! But if we will stay patient and diligent… if we will hang in there and trust Him, we will have victory. God has promised to restore to us anything that is “taken” from us 100 times over (Mark 10:30)… so why are we so afraid and impatient when He brings us “bumps in the road?”
Spiritually speaking, most of us need new glasses! We need to do whatever is necessary to restore our vision – and our faith. We need to exercise more of the qualities outlined in this passage… and to wait on the LORD and trust Him in all things. I know I have a lot of work to do on to grow and improve my faith… what about you? Let’s start working on improving our “Spiritual vision.” Let’s give God room – and His time – to work in our lives. Let’s remember how He has forgiven our sins and sacrificed everything for rotten, blind, impatient, unloving, ungrateful souls such as we often are. Let’s show God - and others - just how useful and meaningful He has made our lives. Are you with me?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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