New Year, New Vision

Last updated on: January 5, 2023 at 3:00 am by Gregory T. Smith

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New Year, New Vision 2023-01-02T20:28:15-08:00 Gregory T. Smith

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The New Year requires walking by faith, not by sight. It involves taking account of your life and adjusting your vision when necessary.

Baby with glasses, hat, book, magnifying glass. Baby Sherlock Holmes

Image by Tú Nguyễn from Pixabay

Toddlers with glasses are adorable and heartbreaking at the same time. That was me. I got my first pair of glasses when I was two years old, before I can even remember. I was that cute tow-headed kid with Coke bottles on his face. Over the years, my prescription didn’t change that much–until I hit my forties. That’s when my vision changed, and I needed to make all kinds of adjustments. I tried progressive lenses, monovision lenses combined with readers, and two different types of bifocal contacts. When your vision changes, if you don’t make some adjustments, you’re definitely going to end up bumping into things.

When My Vision Changed

It was the same when I left the full-time ministry, went into social services, and immigrated to a different country. Suddenly, my field of vision changed, and I needed to make some adjustments. I asked myself, “If I believe God called me into ministry, what does that mean for me now?” I had to understand that what I’m doing is still ministry, just in a different setting. And I had to REALLY grasp that which I’d been preaching to my congregations for years: Every believer is a minister, right where they are, no matter what they’re doing. So, if I worked in a restaurant or in a bookstore or in an auto shop or the Pentagon, I’d be doing ministry of one kind or another. It’s just that, as my vision changed, I needed to make some adjustments.

When Paul Changed His Vision

In Acts 16, Paul planned to take his missionary journey deeper into Asia. Instead, he had a vision of a man from Macedonia, imploring him to “come and help us.” It was the opposite of what Paul had planned. He wanted to go east, but God was sending him west. He wanted to zig, but God wanted him to zag. His vision was changing, and he needed to make some adjustments. So, he followed the new thing—and if you’re a Western Christian, you can thank Paul for saying “yes” in that pivotal moment. If you find yourself in a place in life where your vision is changing, consider making the proper adjustments so you can follow the new path that’s being laid out for you. A “yes” to God can make all the difference, not just for you, but for others whose lives you will touch.

Progressive Changes

In Mark 8, Jesus healed someone with a visual impairment. The man experienced progressive healing, saying at first that the people around him looked like “trees, walking around.” Then, Jesus touched him again, and his vision was completely restored. Sometimes when our vision changes, it may be progressive. In fact, God rarely gives you an entire vision all at once.

A decade ago, if God had given me a look at what my life would be like today, I couldn’t have handled it. But God changed my vision bit by bit in a way that I could manage—and I was able to adjust my view to fit the greatest adventure of my life. If your vision is a little fuzzy, trust God that bit by bit, and it will become clear.

We Walk By Faith, Not By Sight

Remember, even in those times when you can’t see at all, “we walk by faith, not by sight.” It was faith, not sight, that helped me hold someone’s hand and walk into the ophthalmologist’s office at age two before I got my glasses. It was faith, not sight, which brought the visually impaired man to Jesus. And it’s faith, not sight, that will give you the openness to allow God to help you adjust, as your vision changes.

New Year, New Vision

This New Year, it’s time to take a look at the direction your life has been going. Cast a vision for where you believe God is taking you in the future. Be willing to adjust your vision, change your plans, and trust that the one who called you to this moment will see you into tomorrow.

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January 1, 2023

The New Year is a Time of Thresholds