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Leadership Development

20/20 Vision

Did you know that over 180 million people in the world suffer from vision impairment? Many of you reading this had to reach for glasses in order to see these words. Vision impairment is an increasing problem in our world. But an even larger crisis is how many suffer from faulty spiritual vision. Noble Bowman, campus Chi Alpha director for Southwest Missouri State University , recently addressed the problem of faulty spiritual vision, giving me insight regarding my own vision and what needs to be corrected so I can see the way God wants me to.

The Bible describes a man who lived during Jesus' time who had faulty vision. Mark 8:22-25 explains what happened when some people brought this blind man to Jesus to be healed. Jesus led him out of the village and spit on his eyes. When Jesus asked if he could see, the man replied that he could see but people looked like "trees walking around." So Jesus touched him once again and the man's eyesight was completely healed and restored. This man had poor eyesight until Jesus touched him.

It's significant that the man had to be touched not once, but two times in order to be completely healed. The first time, he could see better than before, but it wasn't until Jesus touched him again that he could see clearly and his vision was completely restored. The man could have been content to walk away from Jesus after the first touch, seeing a little better than he could before. But because he waited for Jesus to touch him again, he received the complete healing he desperately longed for.

How many of us are content with "seeing people like trees?" God has done something in our lives, and we become

complacent. We know there is more that God can do to use us in greater ways, but we don't seek a second touch.

Healthy vision can be defined as "the ability to see clearly." Several things can happen to cause our vision to become cloudy.

Nearsightedness is the ability to only see what is close while distant objects are blurred. Spiritual nearsightedness occurs when we are focused only on the here and now, what's going on around us. When we can only see what is near, we have to go slower. Fear gets in the way because we can't see what is ahead. This fear keeps us from progressing spiritually. Fear prevents us from stepping out of our comfort zones and causes us to keep God in the "little box" where we've placed Him. We are not seeking to discover what God has in store for us in the future or the opportunities that lie ahead.

Farsightedness is another form of faulty vision. This is when we can see only what is far away. Spiritually speaking, farsightedness causes us to trip and fall because we can't see what is near. Have you ever known anyone who did not want to serve now because it was "beneath" the vision God had given her for the future? We must learn to be faithful in the present so God can prepare us for what He has promised in the future. He will be true to His promise, but we can't avoid the character-forming journey required to lead us to that promise. We must not be so destination-minded that we can't enjoy the process and the place where God has us now.

Astigmatism is a third form of faulty vision. Everything looks blurry for people with this disorder, whether near or far. Spiritual astigmatics may have a vision, but it's just not clear enough for them to walk in it with confidence. God's will seems fuzzy and they're not sure what He wants now or in the future. A person with this type of faulty vision especially needs a second touch from Jesus. Like the blind man, she will then see clearly and have her sight completely restored.

At different times we all struggle with each of these faulty vision types. Interestingly, almost all vision problems are caused by the shape of the eye. The eye is too long or too short. In the same way, almost all spiritual vision problems are caused by the shape of the "I." Is your "I" in the right shape to have focused vision? God wants us to see clearly. He wants us to trust Him for the present and the future and to trust Him to make His will visible to us. We need to remember that clear vision is a preferred future—we don't have to be afraid. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" What a trustworthy Savior! May we pursue the healing of our spiritual vision as desperately as the blind man did his physical vision.

KRISTINA LWALI and her husband are Assemblies of God U.S. missionaries. They currently work with Chi Alpha Campus Ministries to reach international students. Kristina holds a Master of Arts degree in Intercultural Ministries from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary.