Ramblings - Vision

I had a cool experience last week I wanted to share with you. I was walking through Juan Pablo, a very poor barrio here in Alajuelita, when I was approached by a young lady named Maria. Maria is 25 years old, a single mother, and has two sons. She lives in Juan Pablo with her mother who is helping raise her boys. Maria does not have steady work, but finds odd jobs cleaning houses, mending clothes, and such. They are a very sweet family that I have come to love. (Actually, earlier this month God provided a sponsor to provide school uniforms and supplies for the boys.) Now she was asking if I could possibly help her get eyeglasses for her eight year old son named Ericson. The eyeglasses cost $50, which might as well been $50,000 to Maria. She is working hard to clothe and feed the family and there is no money for luxuries such as eyeglasses. So off we went to the local optometrist to get glasses. We found out that Ericson indeed needed eyeglasses! Actually, I think the correct medical term is "Blind as a bat". No wonder he was struggling in school and didn't like playing soccer. Which I've learned if a Costa Rican boy doesn't like playing soccer there is probably something wrong! Anyway, Ericson put on his new glass and opened his eyes to a whole new world. He was seeing clearly for the first time since he could remember. He couldn't stop smiling as his he took in the joy of seeing everything he had been missing. Actually, he looked strangely at me for a long time, as if he didn't know how strange I looked until now?

Watching Ericson got me thinking...I wonder if I need glasses. Not to correct my physical vision, but to enhance my spiritual vision. What if I had a pair of glasses that allowed me see the world as Jesus does? Eyeglasses that helped me to have more compassion for the lost and dying world. A compassion that welcomed a leper's touch or a prostitute's kiss. Or maybe they could help me see the true value of things so I could stop chasing riches, security, and comfort. Perhaps these glasses could help have the perfect joy and peace found in seeing God clearly. The truth is I don't need glasses, because I have Christ Himself inside of me. Not just His eyes, but His heart, and voice. The thing is, I tend to forget this and see the world though the eyes of self. However, since I've been here, I'm slowly learning to see with His eyes, feel with His heart, and listen to His voice. It's a growing process and a journey. Thanks to Ericson, I've been reminded how far I've come, and how much further I still need to go. In closing I just want to challenge you with this thought...what is your vision like?