Seeing is believing

Seeing has captured my attention lately. I wonder why? Could it be that it has become a challenge for me? Hmmm. Maybe. I am thankful that the doctors are able to do such things as cataract surgery. I am thrilled to be able to see out of the right eye, after they took off the cataract and placed the lens. Maybe if I would have paid the extra money, I could see better now. But I am too cheep. Did not want to pay and extra $3,000 per eye to take care of the astigmatism and the near sightedness. So I struggle. It will be a month till the other one is done. So I try to see. I try not to get frustrated. I try...

Notice the real problem here? It is what "I" am doing. The more I try, the less I am able to do things. I am finding that I am truly challenged to trust in the Lord even when things are not going so well. I think of Moses, the children of Israel and a bunch of snakes. The people grumbled. Oh did they grumble. They did not like being in the wilderness. They did not like not having the foods of Egypt. And they despised that awful manna that they received every morning. Mumble, grumbled. Why can't it be the way it was, or the way we want it to be? Why God? Why?

God said, "Fine, have some snakes." Poisonous snakes came into the camp and began to bite people. (Let's not get into a debate on poisonous vs. venomous.) People began to die. They began to figure out the connection. I grumbled against God. He sent poisonous snakes into the camp. They bite people. People die. Hmmm. Maybe I should - repent! Yeah, that is it. I will repent. Please Moses, ask God to help us.

And He does. He tells Moses to make the bronze snake, put it on the pole in the middle of the camp, and then, when someone is bit, they could believe the promise of God, look at the snake and be healed. Or they could turn their back on the promise of God and die. But the one thing God did not do? Take away the snakes. They had to live with the snakes in their midst. And they had to live in faith, believing the promise of God.

My grumbling makes me think of that. Why would I grumble when I can see. Yes, it is frustrating. Yes, I have to do things differently. Yes, life is more of a challenge. Please Lord, help me see better. OK He says. But not at the moment. You must have the snakes in your life so that you would again realize how much you need to trust in My Word. Repenting of my grumbling, I say, You got it Lord. I am beginning to learn, again. Just like I have had to do throughout my life.

So yes, it is a challenge. But I can see distance fairly clearly with my right eye and no glasses. That is amazing. So I need readers to read. OK Lord, I can do that. And so my left eye is still the way it was and I have to wait a month for it to be done. Lord, with You empowering me, I can do this.

Lesson - being learned. I know I will fail a few time along the way. But I will then lift up my eyes to the Savior on the cross and be healed of spiritual sin. And I will be strengthened again.

Have a great Saturday. The sun is shining. The wind is blowing. There is no snow. What more can we ask for?