Spiritual Glaucoma

I thought my vision was just fine, until one night 10 years ago, when we started playing a board game with some friends and I couldn’t read the fine print on the cards. At first I was a bit concerned and shared with the group that I couldn’t read the cards because the words appeared to be blurry. A couple of them laughed and said, welcome to being forty, and then informed me it was time to get a pair of reading glasses.

Since then my eye glass prescription hasn’t really changed; however, following an eye exam last year, my optometrist informed me I have the beginning stages of glaucoma. Apparently, after taking the eye test where you’re supposed to push the button when you see the little image flicker, the results showed I have a growing blind spot in my field of vision.

If it weren’t for the machine that examined my eye, I would have never known I have this growing blind spot. At this point it hasn’t advanced to where I even notice it. Although I will say, I had a little scare a few weeks ago. One night I was going to turn off of one black top road onto another and after driving several hundred feet, I realized I had turned into a field driveway and I was actually driving through someone’s soybean field. K

Well, I was curious to know what glaucoma is like as it progresses so I googled “how glaucoma affects vision,” and sure enough, there is a website that shows what it looks like. Basically, untreated, my field of vision would shrink until the “lights go out.” I know, sounds scary, but at this point, one eye drop a day is keeping the disease from growing worse. Oh, and by the way, I was just kidding about driving through the bean field. J

As I was reflecting on my current diagnosis of this growing blind spot, I thought of Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:22-23, “Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness.   And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!”

I believe when Jesus shared these insights, he was warning against the danger of “spiritual glaucoma.” Now, unlike physical glaucoma which most often affects a person later on in life, each one of us is born with spiritual blind spots. Paul writes in II Corinthians 4:4, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” In II Corinthians 3 Paul likens this spiritual glaucoma condition to a veil that covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth.

The truth is, whether we can see it or not, we all have spiritual glaucoma. The question I’ve been thinking about is what are my spiritual blind spots? What is the light I think I have, but the truth is, it’s really darkness? How are my blind spots affecting my perception of God, my perception of others, and how I view my purpose in life? And do I have the humility and courage to admit and address my spiritual blind spots?

Now what is the treatment for spiritual glaucoma? It’s prayer! As Paul writes in Ephesians 1:17-18, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you…”

Will you take a few minutes and pray with me that Father would open our eyes and deliver us from our spiritual blind spots so that we, with unveiled eyes might more clearly see and reflect the glory of the Lord.

Grace and peace, Mike