Reading Glasses

     It's early morning, and I am thankful for reading glasses.  Later in the day, when I have time to put it in, I'll be thankful for a reading contact lens. Okay, maybe it seems like a small thing, but believe me, it's not!  So, Lord, You are the Giver of all good gifts, and we are to be thankful in all things, so thankYou, Father, for these gifts that allow me to read.
      Because, you see, I'm getting older, and my eyes, well, let's just say they are aging semi-gracefully along with the rest of me.  Until just a few years ago, I laughed at my older brothers and sisters who seemed to have reading glasses on their heads, in their pockets, in their cars, and in every room of their houses--man, you've never seen so many reading glasses.  If there was ever a world-wide shortage, we'd know who to blame--my dear siblings.
     O yes, but pride goeth before the fall.  Because one seemingly ordinary day, I noticed that the print in the phone book had suddenly grown mysteriously smaller.  Gosh, this is irritating, I thought.  Why have they reduced the typeset on phone books?  Save money, I suppose.
     Yeah, right.  I guess that's what happened with the newspaper, with all the books I was reading, and even with email--within a few weeks, all that misplaced pride had vanished as I realized I had joined the ranks of the reading glasses-in-every-corner-of-every-room gang.  Yep, that's me.  Can't read a menu or a text or a little sign at the grocery store without my ubiquitous reading glasses.
     But here's the thing: what a gift these glasses are because when I put them on, the unintelligible instantly becomes intelligible!  All those indecipherable tiny dots and dashes almost magically turn into words to inform or warn or comfort or encourage or instruct me.  I can read God's Word and be sustained and strengthened when I put on my reading glasses.  O thank You Lord for the person who invented reading glasses!
     I've been thinking about this, though, for  how often in life we need that perspective that would make sense of the confusing or bewildering or heartbreaking things in our lives or the lives of those we love. That being said, life is often wonderful, and I thank the Lord for the gift and adventure of every single day to walk on this planet. Might we rejoice in His gifts of the ordinary in every twenty-four never-to-repeated hours. How I love this life and this world and this privilege of being here with the people I cherish.
     But even with the extraordinary beauty and wonder of life, there is still so much sorrow.  So much uncertainty.  So much we simply cannot understand this side of heaven.   Sometimes we ask, where is God in all of this?  Why doesn't He come through?  Why is He allowing this?
     And, of course, there are no easy answers.  But when we put on the reading glasses of faith, the unintelligible begins to become intelligible, for we see a Sovereign God at work, even in the darkest places of despair or defeat or disaster.  We see by faith a God who is always working, always moving, always active even when on the face of things, it may not initially appear that way.
     If we ever doubt that, all we need to do is look to the cross.  All appearances shouted "Disaster!  Defeat!"  And underneath all that sorrow and hatred and death and despair, God was working and moving and preparing to bring forth new resurrection life.  And such resurrection life!  Not just for Jesus but for us--for all, in all time, who would choose to come to Him by faith.
     And so, "We walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Cor.5:7)
     For when I'm walking by faith, those reading glasses of faith allow me to glimpse the evidence of my Sovereign and Loving Lord at work.  He's been there all along... I just couldn't see His handiwork until He gave me those glasses of stubborn trust in Him, in His Word, and in His plan to work out all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. (Rom.5:8)
     He gives us the choice, however.  Just like I have to choose to put on my reading glasses... and if I don't, well, I'm pretty much lost when it comes to reading or understanding anything at all.  So too, when faced with confusion or sorrow, we have to choose to exercise our faith.  Consciously put it on... by choosing faith in the veracity of His Word.  Faith in the undiminished power of HIs love.  And faith in the ultimate perfection of His plan.
     When I can't see the way ahead, I choose to put on faith in the forever faithful One.  And when I believe, well, then, eventually I begin to see.  And the view is glorious.  To  God be the glory.