“Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember?” (Mark 8:18, NIV)
Of all the physical attributes we have as golfers, I think being able to see well is one of the most important. We must see well to find a focus for our shots. We must see well to find the line on a putt. We must see well to judge distance and adjust for uneven lies.
I recently had cataract surgery on my eyes to improve my vision and I am really grateful and hopeful that it will result in better outcomes for me on the course. In the process I was surprised to find out just how bad my eyes had become. After the first eye was done, it was stunning to me to see my world change from a dull yellowish cast to a brighter, whiter, and more clear form of vision. The world actually changed color! I had no idea that what I had been seeing was so far removed from what I could and should have been seeing.
We need to be reminded, as Jesus reminded the disciples, that we serve a miracle-working God.This is true for us as believers. We may have been looking at our life and circumstances through eyes that fail to see the reality of the world around us. Our vision can become clouded by the incessant distraction of a world that is set on destroying our faith and our future. Our Scripture verse today was Jesus’s response to the disciples when they were questioning what he meant about the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod. They had taken this parable to mean that they didn’t have bread. Jesus was quick to point out that that was not the point. The point was that the world could and would deceive us about the power of God. Jesus reminded them that he had fed five thousand people with five loaves of bread and four thousand more with seven loaves. He redirected their thinking away from the world and its deceptive reasoning toward the reality of his power to take care of them.
We probably all need to do a vision check on what we really believe God can do in our life. We may have seen his power in the past, but now we are not quite so sure that he is in charge, as we see some of the truths we have always held dear being systematically challenged by those in authority in the world. We need to be reminded, as Jesus reminded the disciples, that we serve a miracle-working God. One who provides for us, heals us, and opens our eyes to truth. He has not changed or left us. Our vision may have been clouded, but he can and will open our blind eyes to see if we trust in him.
Look back at when your vision was clearer and know that what was true then is true now. The kingdom of God is a brighter, whiter, and clearer place than we can imagine. We just have to ask God to give us eyes that can see.
—
Linda Ballard
March 4, 2021
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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