As human beings we go through life constantly striving to be somebody. We all yearn to be more than ordinary. As children, we were asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Many of us answered, “I want to be an astronaut, a firefighter, a princess…”
(Sadly I recently realized I couldn’t be a Disney princess because there’s a height limit… I’m kidding! I really wanted to be a superhero saving damsels in distress.)
Isn’t it amazing how creative we once were? How happy we once were?
I want to talk about 20/20, which equals one. More specifically, I want to talk about seeing things clearly.
A Blurred Love
Nowadays, we all struggle with how others view us. Many of us wish to be put on a pedestal, where we’re known for our talents, money, or awards. Then there are those of us who’d rather hide in the background, scared to be ourselves because we could be judged.
Both of these perspectives are extremely dangerous. They cause us to sink deeper and deeper into darkness.
Seeing Through The Storm
Do you remember when Jesus walked on water? The disciples were in a boat during a storm, and
“when the disciples saw him [Jesus] walking on the lake, they were terrified. ‘It’s a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’
‘Come’ He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord save me!” (Matthew 14:26-30)
To me this sounds like every single one of us. We’re all struggling with something: envy, anger, grief, depression, loneliness, self-righteousness, the list could go on forever! And as you grow distracted by your fears, your vision slowly worsens, 19/20 18/20 17/20 16/20…. until finally you don’t see anything. It’s only darkness and no light. You took your eyes off of Jesus. You are blind, senses numbed to this world.
You are losing yourself until one day, you hear a voice.
“After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper” (1 Kings 19:12).
The voice of God came to the prophet Elijah quietly and asked, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
What is God asking you right now? Do you hear him?
Opening Your Own Eyes!
Let’s go back to when Jesus told Peter to, “Come.”
He’s extending that same invitation to you.
Will you right now become a water walker? Or will you continue to sink in fear? Some of you may ask, “How do you walk on water through all of this darkness around me?” Look to Jesus, and get up. Get up right now! Lift your hands and cry out, “Lord, I invite you into my life. It is finished. Love has won. I need help! And I trust you.”
Shout it from the rooftops if you need to! Don’t be a hearer of the Word only, but be a doer of the Word.
Speak of Jesus’ love, of God’s voice, of the sand you were once sinking in! And when the “wolf” comes to blow down your house…. look to Jesus and get up! Strengthen your walls until the “wolf” can’t blow them down! Then open your doors to those standing where you once were.
Let’s go back to 20/20. 20/20 equals one, and that one person who will help you see clearly is Jesus Christ. And He is willing to accept you into His family.
Take up his yoke and give Him yours! I promise you, it is much lighter.
Share Your Thoughts in the Comment Section!
There are currently 1 Comment
Thank you for sharing! I really enjoyed your insights 🙂
Thank you so much!
Yes, yes, yes! Great article (Although, it sounds oddly familiar.. hahaha!) – and welcome to the Reb!!
Thanks!!! A lot of it is from my sermon notes I had you read.
I thought so!
I only got to skim this, but it’s really good! 🙂
Thank you so much!
No problem it means a lot to hear that you liked it!
Haha I will take note of that.
“Let’s go back to 20/20. 20/20 equals one, and that one person who will
help you see clearly is Jesus Christ. And He is willing to accept you
into His family.”
Thank you for writing this article, Jace! I really liked the 20/20 analogy….it is a good way to remember to always keep our eyes on Jesus as we walk out on the waves of life…because, like Peter, when we take our eyes off of Him, that is when we start to sink. Thank you for the reminder!
Thank you so much Savannah. It truly means a lot to hear you liked it!
Thanks for the great reminder! While reading it, I thought of the song, Slow Fade, by Casting Crowns. Every second, thought, word, and action matters. Thanks Jace.
Thank you for sharing this, Jace! I really needed to hear this today. Very timely message. 🙂
This is great, Jace, thanks for sharing these thoughts. I will re-read tomorrow when I’m a little more awake and can really think through this. ‘)
Also, noticed your bio said you are planning on going to Ozark College… do you by chance live in the Missouri/Kansas area?
Thanks! I live in Norton, KS
Beautifully written.
Thank you!
Love this! Thank you, Jace, for the reminder to fix our eyes on Jesus. I really needed to hear this today. ❤️
Glad to hear! Something I always try to remember is, no matter how hard life can get, Jesus is reaching his hand out to you. He is ready to pick you up and guide you. Something that came to mind tonight was about mountains in our life. I think of Mt. Everest people who don’t complete the climb are left on the mountain forever lost in the snow. In a way it represents our sin. As we are climbing a, metaphorical, mountain in our life slowly our sin falls off our back making us lighter to complete the journey. When we finally reach the top the light shines bright over the peak and hold the memory with us forever.
This is really weird,I am going to Ozark this fall! Not to mention this is only the second article I have read on here. That is just so cool!
The article was great! I know exactly what you are talking about. I recently went through what you described. This was just too awesome. I had to comment. hope to meet you this fall.
That is really cool! I am still in between Liberty University in VA or Ozark. But we’ll see what God says!