One of the newest signs that I’m getting old is that I seem to have developed a partial hole in the macula of my left eye.
I had no idea it was there as it doesn’t bother me at all, but as a result, I found myself in the office of a local ophthalmologist. They had told me to bring a driver, but because there was no one, I brought a good pair of sunglasses instead. After all, it wasn’t the first time I would have my eyes dilated, and it had never really bothered me before!
I’m not sure if they use a stronger drop or if I was just more sensitive that day, but I don’t remember eye dilation ever making my vision blurry before!
I got home safely with the help of the sunglasses and autopilot on my car, but when my eyes were still light sensitive at supper time, I figured driving to a local restaurant would be more comfortable than making something at home. I did feel safe driving, for my vision was slowly clearing; but with my pupils still somewhat dilated, every light turned into a star. Everywhere I looked there were white, yellow, red, green or orange stars! Never had I seen so many lights on a night drive, and it was absolutely beautiful! I was a little disappointed to arrive at the restaurant and to have to go in and face the artificial lights!
It made me think. Why hadn’t I ever noticed how many lights there were on the night road before?
The answer is, of course, that the street lights and stop lights and car lights, etc., had become some regular, so mundane, that I didn’t even notice them anymore… It took the drops to dilate my eyes so that I could see them.
The Bible tells us, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16 NIV). It is a familiar verse, one that we’ve heard sermons preached on so often that most of us probably just skip over it as we reread Matthew 5. We take quick inventory of our latest good deeds, and we make a mental “check” off the mental “check list”. Yup, I’m doing adequate good deeds. I have that one covered! However, I really like how this verse is stated in the NASB: “Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16 NASB).
Of course “Let your light” means the same thing as “Your light mush shine”, but when I read this in the NASB, it leapt off the page. My light must shine before people in a way that they will see my good works and glorify my Father!
I did a quick mental rundown of my latest good deeds. Sure there were plenty of things on the list; but did any of these works shine before people in a way that they would see them and glorify God?
Besides, we’re not even supposed to be doing our good deeds in a way that people will notice us… How can I make sure people see my deeds so that they can glorify God when I’m not supposed to even show it to them?
I think the problem is, there are so many people doing good deeds these days, and most of them are not doing them in the name of the Lord, that we become numb to what we see. Just like I don’t usually notice the night lights when I drive, our deeds become so mundane that most people don’t even notice the good deeds done in the name of the Lord. They look like all the rest!
Remember that I had vicious drops in my eyes that enabled my pupils to dilate and allowed me to see each light as a star. What we need is something to open the eyes of those around us to the workings of the Lord, without promoting ourselves! We need their spiritual eyes to be dilated!
Fortunately the answer to this is a lot less painful than the drops. We must remember that our job is only to plant the seed; it is God’s Spirit who makes it grow. Jesus says, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know.” (Mark 4:26-27 NASB), and the Apostle Paul tells us how that growth happens: “So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.” (1 Corinthians 3:7 NASB) Aside from sowing the seed, aside from doing good deeds and being God’s hands and feet, we have only one responsibility: We must pray for God’s Spirit to “dilate” the spiritual eyes of those who will see, to make those lights “stars”, so that God’s name will indeed shine forth!
What about it? Let’s start praying for God to give those around us “star” vision, so that they will glorify God’s name through our efforts!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Author, Moderator, Acting Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries
