Our Eyes...

Been thinking alot about eyes this week...

Caroline is back at College and she is experiencing eye problems... maybe nothing but then again, it could be major...    She has been wearing contacts for a year or so now.  And recently she discovered that her eyes are dry and red.  So, she decided to change the contact solution she uses to see if that helped.  And it didn't seem to.   I didn't think too much about the situation until she posted on Facebook that she was having difficulty seeing.   That's when the switch flipped and I began to insist that she make an emergency appointment to get them looked at.

We only have one set of eyes and we can't get a replacement!

Years ago, Sharon had an infection in her eyes and now can't wear contacts due to that infection.  So, for sure, that has impacted how I feel about this situation with Caroline.  I am waiting to hear when her appointment is today.

All this is happening when I am working on a sermon on Matthew 6:19-34 (part of Jesus' sermon on the mount) where Jesus talks about the eyes... saying, "The eye is the lamp of the body.  So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is unhealthy your body will be full of darkness,: (v. 22)

All of this is in the context of Jesus' teaching about seeking God's kingdom first... or as some translations render it, "striving first for the kingdom of God."   It occurs to me that striving or seeking first God's kingdom is a matter of having healthy eyes!

There is much that distracts us (and in these verses, Jesus names some of the biggest distractions) and takes the focus of our eyes in areas that make them not healthy.     Many of us want to strive first for the kingdom of God and even make it a resolution for our lives, but quickly we find that God isn't first - not that we want it that way - I think it is not a matter of desire, but a matter of our eyes.  What are we looking at?  What are we looking for?   Are we seeing things that distract us from seeing God?

Keeping our eyes focussed on God is key to striving first for the kingdom of God!   And as Jesus teaches in this sermon... a major part of that is not worrying... trusting God to provide for our needs.  Worry tends to keep us from looking in the right direction... toward God!

Are your eyes healthy?