Each and every morning, before any other mundane ritual, I take a couple of minutes to put in my contacts. Why? Because life without them would consist of mostly blurry clouds.
Even after I put those contacts in, however, I realize that my vision may still be clouded. Oh, I can see fine physically, but I often have a tendancy to still look at the world through the wrong lenses. I see the day ahead, the appointments and tasks at hand. I see my agenda and my responsibilities. I see myself persuing what makes me most happy, what is least painful, and what is most convenient. While this may not be bad in and of itself, my self-focused vision can easily make me miss seeing the bigger picture.
Years ago a youth pastor taught me the concept of "I am third." To this day, I strive each day to let that concept govern my vision. The idea is simple: Look first to God. Worship Him and walk with Him constantly. Second, look to love others. Pay attention to the needs and desires of those around us. When God and others come first, then we become third. Our self-centered vision is corrected to see as God intended.
The problem with this self-less perspective is that it is not easy, and it is certainly not convenient. Yet something amazing happens when our focus is correct. Even if we don't say a word about God, His love is preached. Suddenly every encounter becomes a testimony, and every moment an opportunity.
If our goal is to follow Christ, then we have to see things from His perspective - constantly focusing on things above, and constantly looking to love those around us. May these words by Brandon Heath be our prayer:
Give me your eyes for just one second.
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing,
Give me your love for humanity.
Give me your arms for the brokenhearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see.